Just Another Story about Girl meets Boy
by Siriusly Lovely
Summary: Lily Luna Potter was in love. that is until her cousin Rose decided she wanted to date her boyfriend. Now she's alone without a friend in the world and needs to find a new niche. This is the story of what happens when she tries new things. M just incase
1. I had a boyfriend, He sailed away

**Author Notes**: Hey guys, this is written for my challenge 'just another lengthy love quote challenge'. I'm aiming to write one chapter for every quote i have in there. thats 117. This first chapter is a bit rushed because i wanted to get the story going and get some exposition out of the way. If you were expecting Lily/Scorpy to happen right away I"m sorry it's not. I usually jump right into things thats why i love one shots so well but since i decided to write an actual story this time i'm going to try to build up to it as best i can so bear with me. Scorpy is only mentioned in this chapter but i promise he'll be in the next one.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the Characters from Harry Potter but I think JK Rowling with blessing me with her books to write about :)

"How the hell could he do this to me! Is he out of his bloody mind!"

The shrill cry of Lily Potter called the attention of almost all of the people in the small square she and her cousin Hugo were walking through at noon on a particularly cold day at the end of December. It was the Christmas Holidays during their fifth year at Hogwarts and one would think they would be back at the Burrow with their entire extended family celebrating the birth of Christ or whatever it was they were supposed to be celebrating. It didn't matter anymore, Lily didn't care. She was never going back there and Hugo had come to accept that.

He was currently in the process of procuring a small golden coin from his pocket and struggling to send a message on it. In lieu of muggle cell phones since their parents could not seem to grasp the concept of how such things worked his father had come up with the brilliant plan to bring back the gold coins he and his friends had used in their school days to help the family stay in touch. Bloody brilliant dad but seeing as Ron himself did not know how to correctly use the things neither did his son. Lily had been behaving herself and standing quietly next to him, sulking, until her outburst that was. Hugo dropped the coin in surprise and looked up to see several dozen sets of eyes peering out of dimly lit windows at him, not all of them friendly with concern…

Grabbing his cousins arm he started walking, dragging her along with him. Lily was showing all the signs of being a toddler who was throwing a temper tantrum. "Lily, you're being a bit immature aren't you? I mean his parents are pretty much family to our parents you had to know he'd be there." He was getting rather tired of this and he was getting rather cold and he wanted to go home. Now. But that wasn't about to happen.

When he stopped once they were safely out of the square and away from busy bodies who would want to know why they were out in the cold on Christmas Day he looked up and was met with the big green eyes that commanded the attention of everyone who looked at Lily. It bad always been through her eyes that he had been able to tell exactly what she was thinking on hundred percent of the time. When she was about to cry her eyes would get wide and then scrunch tight in quite succession as she fought to keep the tears in their ducts. When she was happy they would sparkle and reflect all of the light around them. But now they were full of anger and her eye brows were furrowed at him as though he had just claimed that he had legal evidence proving she had been adopted.

"What on earth are you talking about I knew he'd be there? You know full well I knew he'd be there! I knew he'd be there and I had hoped that he would come to his senses when he saw me and immediately beg me to take him back. But then I got here and he was already here with that…harlot!" She crossed her arms and pouted like a five year old and had anyone seen her at that moment in her white Christmas dress that was entirely unpractical for the weather outside on this day with her arms folded and apparently furious they would have thought she was having a fit.

For the past year and a half Lily had been dating one Lysander Scamander. He was a Ravenclaw and by far the most desirable boy in his year in Ravenclaw. She hadn't had any classes with him because she was Gryffindor and a year younger than him at that but she'd known him her whole life and they both had a particular love for herbology. Then again Lily had a love for every other subject as well as she just loved to learn but they had really bonded over herbology and spent a lot of time in the green houses together just talking and laughing. Everyone else had seen it coming before she had and when he asked her out for tea in Hogsmeade one weekend at the beginning of her fourth year she had been completely blindsighted.

It had been complete bliss from there on out. Their relationship hadn't been one of those sickening ones where they were inseparable or never had anything to talk about that didn't include their partner. They liked to spend time with their friends or in the library casually holding hands on the table while they read text for class or in the greenhouses where they would get told off for throwing dirt at each other and running around the tables and causing a ruckus. They were in love and Lily had never really known anything about relationships before and so she completely enveloped herself in it.

The summer had consisted of lazy days in Godrics Hollow, laying on the grass. Lily delighted in the way her long red hair mixed with his shaggy blonde head when they'd lean their heads together. She loved to talk to him because he was smart and funny and he made her feel special. Her cousins would come over often as their parents couldn't go, oh, five seconds without being around each other. Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione were a hoot and Lily would always do her hair in braided pigtails the way she liked them when Lysander would come to visit.

Sometimes his mother would come with him and spend the day talking her parents' ears off about Rolf's latest endeavor or the latest issue of the Quibbler she was working on. Rose had always thought Luna Lovegood was fascinating and funny and she could see a lot of Luna in Lysander especially the blonde hair and blue eyes. Lorcan had his own girlfriend who, believe it or not, had nothing to do with any of them. He was terribly embarrassed by the whole to do everyone made about how their parents had helped to save the wizarding world and all that and refused to take part in any family events or reunion outings or even pretend to be friendly.

That's why when Lorcan had begun speaking to her at the beginning of December during final exams Lily had known that something was up. During the fall term things had been a bit odd between her an Lysander, he'd always been off in his own little world but she had convinced herself it was because of the new harder classes he had to take now that he was at NEWT level. She always offered to help him study for all the extra courses he was taking but he said she was too much of a distraction which she had taken as a compliment. So she'd taken to studying alone in the library when she usually would have with Lysander as company. It was lonely business studying mundane lessons by yourself and so when Lorcan had appeared one night she had been happy for the company if not a bit surprised.

They began having odd study sessions in which Lorcan requested help in Herbology, which unlike his brother had never been his strong suit, or Potions or some other field Lily was more skilled at than him. Lorcan was already in NEWTs level courses as well but Lily had taken to education as easily as her name sake had and already knew a lot of the things he was studying by reading all of her brothers' text books. After a few nights of this Lorcan seemed to be improving greatly which pleased Lily. She was very happy to be making a connection with her boyfriend's twin, something she had been trying to do during their entire relationship. She was happy, that was, until Lorcan started telling her that she should be careful with Lysander.

After that Lily got so angry at Lorcan she refused to talk to him any longer and started doing her studying in the common room. The night before break began she went to see Lysander and told him what Lorcan had said expecting him to qualm the worries it had caused. Instead he told her that he didn't want to see her anymore, that things were just too weird with them being in different houses and different years and that he couldn't handle a relationship this year because of how busy he was. Lily was completely devastated and pent the entirety of Christmas holidays preparing to see him at the family gathering which she knew he would attend whether or not he wanted to because Luna never took no for an answer. She was sure that once he had gone awhile without her he would realize how much he missed her and needed her back and that he would be practically begging her to take him back when he saw her at the Burrow.

She'd worn her favorite Christmas dress. It was yellow and against her pale skin and with her red hair falling down over her shoulders it looked very lovely. It used to be her mothers and so it was a bit old fashioned but she loved it all the same and she was sure Lysander would appreciate it just as well. When she walked through the front door she was greeted with the familiar, homely scent of the house and the hub bub of the entire Weasley clan and all of their friends echoing through the house. And she was also greeted by Lorcan Scamander of all people.

What could have possibly possessed Lorcan Scamander to attend one of these functions which he loathed to the core of his being? She was so confused by his appearance that she momentarily forgot to be shocked by the fact that the Scamanders were there before her family which meant Lysander was already here. He looked quite uncomfortable while he tried to tell her something and lily couldn't quite grasp what he was triyng to say. "So er…usually I wouldn't come to these things but well… I just…it's just that I actually got to be rather fond of you as person when you helped me past Herbology and well… I just wanted to warn you before…"

But Lily hadn't heard the rest of that explanation because over his shoulder she had seen them. Coming down the steps from the upper levels of the house she had always felt so comfortable in was the boy she loved more than anything in the world and her favorite cousin. Rose Weasley was walking down the steps backwards, her brown hair up in a plain pony tail exposing her shoulders in an off the shoulder purple sweater that came down over the belt of her dark jeans. She was laughing and pulling someone after her. That someone just happened to be Lysander whose eyes were pasted to Rose's and had showed the flush on his cheeks that Lily knew from experience happened after he had been kissing someone.

It was like watching a tragedy. She was screaming on the inside and her insides were ripping out but she couldn't pull her eyes away from it. Stepping off the last step Rose spun herself under Lysander's arm in a cutesy dance move and he pulled her into his chest and kissed the tip of her nose as though they were the only people in the room. Lily felt her heart literally break in her chest and immediately had the sensation that she was going to vomit. Clutching at her stomach she suddenly felt a hand steadying her shoulder.

"Yeah" Lysander said, "I thought it might go something like that…." He tried to steer her to a sofa but all she would allow him to do was help her sit down on a stool near the door. She was still staring at Lysander and Rose who looked perfectly comfortable snogging near the stairs while their parents made a ruckus in the kitchen preparing a meal for them. It was as though everyone was used to this sort of behavior. "When mum told me he came to stay here last week and we'd retrieve him when we came I had a feeling something like this was happening…I'm really sorry Lily."

Lily's stomach flipped. So everyone had known. Everyone in her family had known this was happening and no one had told her. More still Lysander had hid it from her. Forget that, her cousin was snogging her ex boyfriend. Hardly ex boyfriend they had only broken up before coming home for the holidays they were practically still together. But she wouldn't cry, she wouldn't give Lysander the satisfaction of seeing her cry. What was he? Nothing special. Fat chance she believed that. But she just kept staring at them talking to each other in whispers and kissing each others face everywhere but their lips. Somewhere near her she heard Lorcan sigh. And stand up.

"Listen…I'm leaving. I only came to tell you but I don't think I'm being much help especially since you won't talk to me...Scorpius Malfoy is having a Christmas party because his parents are out of the country…if you need to get out of here, away from _this_" he gestured disgustedly at the rest of the house, "floo me and I"ll tell you how to get there". He waited a minute as though waiting for her to respond to him and then stepped to the side and without saying good bye to his family or anything walked out of the door.

Lily had sat there for several more minutes just staring at the place she'd seen them emerge from. Without seeming to notice her they had moved to the garden and she could no longer see them but she just kept staring unsure of what to do. Hugo had found her after awhile. "Lils, what's wrong? Lils?" He's shaken her and she hadn't responded and he'd crouched down next to her. At that moment Lysander and Rose had emerged from the back yard yet again, Lysander's cheeks even redder than they had been and Lily flinched. Hugo looked over his shoulder and saw what she was staring at and looked back at her guiltily. "Oh…that…"

Lily had suddenly let out a frustrated scream alerting the entire first floor of her presence including the disgusting couple who had both turned the shade of a red she hadn't thought possible. Hugo had grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the house intending only to take her outside and calm her down. Lily had other ideas, she started off towards the little town nearby, walking so fast that he had to jog at times to keep up. She was never, never returning to that house again.

And now here they were, several miles from the Burrow, freezing their buns off and Hugo was quickly tiring of it. "Lily. We have to go back. It's almost time for dinner…Mum made gram's sugar free cherry pie..." Something in Hugo's voice said that he knew that his attempt was in vain, not to mention that sugar free cherry pie wasn't exactly appealing….but Lily ignored him.

"Oh I'm not going back Hugo…you go back. You go back there and tell them…tell HER that…that I disown her…That I disown ALL of them! Any family that would keep this from me… I don't want them. I don't." And she turned away form him again because he too had lied to her, he should have told her. He should have been the one to tell her not Lorcan…Lorcan… "Besides. I have plans. I'm going to Malfoy's party."

Hugo had been kicking at a patch of ice on the path, avoiding looking at her, but when he heard what she said he looked up and his eyes bugged out. "As in Scorpius Malfoy? The Scorpius Malfoy who pulled Rose's hair whil she was being sorted and pushed my face into the dirt when we were second years? Why on earth would you go to his party? On Christmas no less!" Lily liked that this idea seemed to upset Hugo so much. He should be upset, because she was upset with him and she hated him. They'd been best friends since they were in diapers but she hated him right now. He should have told her…

"Yes, Scorpius Malfy. And if I remember correctly when he put your face in the dirt you had kicked him in the shin you little twat. And I'm going because Lorcan invited me and I'm beginning to think he has the right idea about our families…Their better appreciated from afar." And with that she turned on her heal and walked back to town leaving Hugo in the dust. Turning around right before she left hearing distance she yelled back to him. "Tell my dad I'm with Lorcan okay? DON"T TELL HIM WHOSE HOUSE I'M AT!" She emphasized the last part. "Don't tell your dad either!" She knew that if her dad or uncle heard she was at Malfoy Manor they would show up with wands in hand and she couldn't have that. She was planning on going to this party and forgetting all about her stupid family who didn't love her at all. She was planning on getting into all kinds of trouble and making all kinds of new friends because obviously she had been doing things all wrong for the last fifteen years of her life.

Within an hour Lily had dirtied up the front of her dress a bit kneeling on the floor of a dingy pub and flooing Lorcan at Malfoy's. However surprised to hear from her Lorcan had followed through in that he had given her exact instructions on how to floo to the Manor. Immediately upon arrival she had been blasted by a onslaught of music and smoke and heat that she hadn't thought possible on a day like today. Lorcan had put his arm around her in a protective way and guided her through the crowded den and right to the bar which was set up in the kitchen of Scorpius' house. She hadn't known what to ask for so she just told him to make her something strong and by Merlin he had followed through.

After two glasses of what Lorcan referred to as a Firewhisky Meltdown and a shot of a muggle drink called Aftershock some seventh year bloke had nicked from his father's liquor cabinet, Lily was enjoyably sloshed. She found herself sitting on a sofa in a dimly lit room with a grand piano in one corner leaning in the crook of Lorcan's arm. She was getting very sleepy with the heat which was only intensified because someone had lit the fireplace next to the sofa and her eyes kept drooping shut only to be nudged by Lorcan who was trying to make sure she didn't pass out too early. After once such occurance Lily opened her eyes to look at him.

He looked very much like Lysander, which was not surprising since they were identical twins. He had the same blonde hair although his was shorter and curlier not wavy like his brothers. Lily drunkenly reached up and twisted a bit of it around her finger. Entranced by the movement her fingers executed to do this she was in a daze. But then a thought occurred to her. "Lorcan why isn't your girlfriend at this party with you?" Come to think of it she hadn't seen Lorcan's girlfriend Darcy in quite some time… had she even seen her at all since term began?

"Darcy graduated last year. She's off in the America's studying Zoology or something at a Muggle university…merlin knows why…thinks we should take some time off." Lorcan's answer was emotionless and to the point which was just as Lily had always known to take him. Lily realized after a moment that he was looking at her hair and she could feel him running his hands through it a bit. He looked just as lost as she felt and it made her even sadder than she already was.

"Do you miss her terribly?" It was a silly thing to ask and Lily was sure she would not have said it were she not intoxicated but she genuinely wanted to know. It was interesting to her how Lorcan had invited her to this party with him and come to the Burrow expressly to be there for her when she found out about Lysander and Rose and she was beginning to feel very close to him.

"Yes." Again his answer was cold but she could tell he meant it and that admitting it caused him great pain. He stopped playing with her hair and looked at her. There was something in those blue eyes that reminded her so much of his brother but at the same time she knew he was completely different. He would have married Darcy, she thought. He never would have left her for her cousin, or any relative for that matter. And she realized he was here for the exact same reason she was, to drink her feelings and try to start fresh again.

Something came over Lily and she pushed her head forward what seemed to her like a mile that separated them and kissed Lorcan very softly on the lips. She pulled back and looked at him expecting him to look very surprised the way Lysander had the first time she had kissed him in the greenhouse. But Lorcan looked cool, almost as though he had been expecting it. he started running his hand through her hair for a moment again and looked as though he was considering it, as though the kiss had not happened. But then he tilted his chin down and kissed her, pressing his lips against hers softly at first and then probing her lips open with his tongue and using it to investigate the crevices of her mouth and brush over her teeth.

Maybe it was just that she was drunk or that she had missed being close to someone or that he looked so much like his brother but Lily found herself thinking that this may be the best kiss she had ever experienced. It sent tingles through her skin and made her feel alive. After a few moments of kissing like that, he pulled back and closed his eyes as though sleeping, leaning his forehead against hers and pulling her closer to him. Lily's mind flickered to the image of Lysander pulling Rose into him earlier that evening but luckily she didn't have much time to dwell.

At that exact moment a drunken Slytherin sixth year who Lily thought as name Kyle stumbled into the room brandishing a whiskey bottle as though it were a weapon. He took one look at them and said, "Oi, Scamander, another wench eh? Does this one have another boyfriend too?" Without opening his eyes Lysander took a deep ragged breath that made Lily wonder if he was about to cry, but he did not. He just stayed put. She looked at the boy who seemed to be waiting for a response and wondered about what he had said.

Suddenly it made sense. Darcy had found someone else. She might be in the Americas but seeing as her family had been Death Eater supporters she very much doubted that she was studying at a Muggle university….Reaching down and grasping one of Lysanders hand she gave it a squeeze and looked at the boy. "I had a boyfriend but…" She didn't quite know what to say… she didn't full well want to tell people her ex boyfriend was off shagging her cousin, that just wouldn't do…. She looked up and on the wall there was a picture of a lake with a single sail boat on it. On a shore in the distance you could see someone waving. She imagined she was on the shore waving and Lysander was on the boat, sailing away from her. She smiled and squeezed Lorcan's hand again. "He…sailed away" And with that she settled down on Lorcan's shoulder and closed her eyes again. Maybe now he'd let her go to sleep.


	2. You're Really Cute

Lily couldn't count the number of times she'd woken up in Lysander's arms. She always loved the feeling of him next to her being the first thing she was aware of in them morning. His cologne smelt like pine wood, like home. It made her feel so safe, like nothing could ever ruin the calm he put over her. They were supposed to be together for ever, for always, and nothing was going to threaten that, not ever. At least that's what she could tell herself when she'd wake up with his arm around her waste and his face burrowed in to the back of her shoulder.

Waking up with Lorcan was different…to say the least. Lorcan smelled – at least right now – of smoke and liquor, but also of something like candy, licorice maybe? Chocolate? She couldn't quite tell. It was soothing, not in the head over heels way that his brother issued out but in a way that helped her ignore the fact that somewhere in the world as the sun peaked over the window sills of Malfoy Manor on the day after Christmas her recently estranged boyfriend was waking up holding her cousin Rose in the same way he used to hold onto her, As though she kept him anchored to the earth.

When she first woke up she was lying on her side on the sofa she'd dozed off on the night before. Curled around her stomach, resting lightly on her stomach his fingers laced through her own was one of Lorcan's hands. The other one was curled up around his head in a way she couldn't imagine could be comfortable but he didn't seem to mind. When he breathed she got a great waft of the scent she'd picked up on him upon first consideration and the tendrils of red hair that had fallen across his fact during the night would flicker.

Although it was very odd to be waking up with the twin of the love of her life so soon after their parting of ways it was also very touching to wake up holding someone's hand and having them cling to her as though they needed her there to get to sleep. Not wanting to wake him quite yet, not knowing if he would be as comfortable with the situation this morning has he had been last night, not knowing much of anything she carefully turned so that she was lying on her back next to him. Lily almost laughed when he had a typical sleeping boy reaction. Without waking or really being upset about the change of position he shifted slightly, his hand continuing to hold hers and his head finding its resting place on her shoulder.

Briefly Lily wondered if perhaps Lorcan had woken many mornings with Darcy in this very position, he seemed so at easy, so calm as he slept, as though he had not a care in the world. Was he dreaming of Darcy? Would he be confused when he awoke to find it was not his lovely seventeen year old girlfriend with the olive colored skin and the raven hair that he was holding on to? But Lily didn't have much time to dwell on such ideas and considerations. For just as she began to think that maybe she should just slip off the sofa while he continued to sleep and floo home before he knew she was missing from his embrace, she noticed someone sitting in an armchair across the room from them simply looking on.

This was the first time Lily had seen the state of the room since awakening, she had been far too consumed in the position she herself was in. There were several other groupings of what appeared to be couples strewn around the room however the only furniture seemed to have been claimed by herself and Lorcan and the boy in the armchair. A girl lily recognized as a Slytherin from her year was slumped against the wall to the left of the door, her head resting on the shoulder of a boy with a head of black hair who was sporting a tuft of blonde as bangs. On the floor the boy who had affronted Lorcan when he'd found them kissing the night before was passed out hilariously in the fetal position right in front of the arm chair.

Lily couldn't look away, it was quite pathetic really. It was just so odd to suddenly become aware of someone staring at you. On the dark green chair was draped a boy, one leg over the right arm chair and the other foot resting on the floor, as he leaned across the seat. He was clad in dark grey wash jeans and a black form fitting tee which was lightly wrinkled for wear. His skin was pale and the dark grey eyes that were trained on her seemed like they went on for ages, like she could get lost in them and never find her way out. Blonde hair fell across his face in long strands that sat very straight despite his mussed state.

The opened bottle of firewhiskey clutched in his hand, resting neatly on his stomach gave Lily the impression he had never stopped drinking as the night went on and had been sitting there nursing it for a rather long time. She wondered how long he had been watching her for and it made her slightly uncomfortable to think that she'd been being watched as she slept.

"Enjoying my sofa?" She was startled when he spoke, having been dazing off and still confused by his presences. It didn't help either that she was still feeling slightly woozy from the amount of alcohol she had consumed the night before and as a result his voice was mildly amplified.

Blinking a few times Lily tried to think of how to respond to his comment. She'd never really spent that much time around Scorpius, for obvious reasons, and so to have him speaking directly to her for the first time while she lounged on his sofa the morning after a party she hadn't even really been invited to was rather uncomfortable. "Er…it's very comfortable, thank you."

Scorpius' expression hardly changed at her response but she detected a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth as though he might be suppressing a smirk. His eyes were still set directly on hers, unwavering, it was all rather daunting to her… "I'm Scorpius Malfoy. But you already knew that didn't you?" Lily nodded, not really knowing what else to do. Scorpius paused for a moment and his eyes flickered to her hair and then immediately back to her. "Are you a Weasley?"

Lily immediately tensed up. There had been a long living rivalry between the Malfoys and…well any family who had people in Gryffindor. But there was an extra special level of hatred between the Malfoy and Weasley clans as the former thought the latter were nothing but filthy blood traitors. "Actually I'm a Potter…"

This time a smirk really did alight upon Scorpius face. It was amazing the effect it had on Lily. A tingle spread throughout her body when she saw him smile because it was something she had never seen before. A Malfoy smiling at a Potter? Her father would not believe it.

"A Potter huh? My father would be so pleased to know I allowed you to sleep here then. Perhaps it shall just be our little secret." He winked at her and the tingles spread through her again. She wanted to stop talking to him, wanted to disappear for the way he was making her feel but what was she to do? She was still in the grasp of Lorcan Scamander and somehow having him next to her was the only thing keeping her from running scared in the other direction as Scorpius sat there staring at her.

"You're really cute for a Potter." That was honestly the last thing she had ever expected to come out of his mouth. At this moment she did not feel cute at all. The front of her white dress had soot on it from flooing into the fireplace at the Manor and her hair was sticking out at odd angles because of the way she had slept on it. At that point she came to the conclusion that Scorpius must still be all kinds of intoxicated to be saying let along thinking that she was really cute.

That didn't stop her however from unconsciously gripping Lorcan's hand on her stomach a bit tighter for support and worriedly glancing to the side at him as though he might wake up just in time to hear Scorpius' comment and think something was going on that it wasn't. But then again she had no reason to be worried about what Lorcan would think. It's not like they were together, they had only kissed a bit when they were drunk, when they were both upset. All the same she did care what he though, for whatever reason. And she didn't want him to think she was…what was she afraid of him thinking?

"Don't worry. Lorcan will be out for another hour at least. He always sleeps the longest after a night like last night." Thanks for the reassuring words, Malfoy, who asked you? But there was no reason for Lily to be hostile towards Malfoy. She was just cranky because she was hung over and confused and was having feelings about things she didn't understand currently. Suddenly she had the undying urge to go home and be in her own bed.

"I should go…." She started to get up, carefully sliding her legs off the side of the sofa and sitting up so that her hand still held Lorcan's on her lap. His head slid off of her onto the sofa cushion but still he did not stir. Looking down at him she reached out with one of her free hand and ran her fingers through his short blonde hair again, enjoying it slightly but wishing for more because of the long straight hair she was used to. No, Lysander's hair was wavy not straight. Who had straight blonde hair?

Realizing she was thinking of Scropius she looked up at the armchair but was shocked to find that he was merely a foot or two away from him now. Standing, looking down at her the fire whiskey bottle hanging from his hand he was still cool and calm. "Don't leave. We do this every year when my parents go to Italy for the holidays. No one else will be leaving for a few days at least. You should stay…hang out."

For a moment she considered it but then he winked at her again and it sent the jolt through her she needed. "No…no I really have to go…"

"Suit yourself." He started backing away from her. "Me? I have to go find someone." He smirked and turned around, calling back to her over his shoulder. "Live a little, Potter girl." As he past the piano in the corner he trailed his hand across the keys in a flourish which resounded off the walls. Moments later he disappeared around the corner. In his absence there were groans from those that were awoken by his musical expertise.

Lily glanced back at Lorcan who had silently opened his eyes, typical she thought of his personality. They locked eyes for a moment and Lily smiled at him briefly. Acting on impulse she leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. Placing the hand she had been holding on his stomach she patted it and started to stand up. Lorcan grabbed her hand and kept her from walking away.

"Where are you going?" His voice was low and husky in that sleepy way she was used to hearing from someone else who he reminded her of.

"Home. My parents, they'll worry. I just took off. I don't do that." She tried to pull her hand away again but he wouldn't let her.

"Fuck that. Stay here. We'll get up at noon and have breakfast with everyone and then we'll drink ourselves to oblivion again tomorrow night and forget all our problems, all our responsibilities." As he spoke he sat up slightly and pulled her to sit next to him, rubbing her side with the hand that wasn't on hers. She paused and looked hesitant so he continued. "Don't worry about your parents. You're with me. Mum knows I'd never let anything happen to you and she can handle Harry and Ginny.

Lily still wasn't convinced and she shook her head, not looking at him. Why did he want her to stay so bad. The hand on her waist stopped its activity and found her face turning it so she was lookng him. She was surprised to find his face so close to hers. She was even more surprised when he ducked in and kissed her softly sending the same chill through her she had found when Scorpius smiled at her. It was a nice feeling especially with something to compare it to. But then he pulled back, leaning his forehead against hers like he had the night before after they kissed. "Stay. Please?"

"Okay." She didn't know why she agreed but she felt on some level that she would rather be here with Lorcan than home with a family that would drill her with questions and remind her that they were all back stabbers. And so she'd stay and perhaps she wouldn't stay for the next party but breakfast sounded amazing at this point and so did a bit more sleep.

"Good." It seemed that Lorcan had the same idea about sleep on his mind because he started lying down again and pulling her with him. "Now come here." and she laid down on her side again and he laced his arms around her waist and kissed the crook of her neck . "You smell really nice." And she felt his breathing steady as he fell back to sleep. After a few minutes she relaxed as it seemed the room was silent and calm again, filled with the sleeping breathing of its occupants. Maybe this was just what she needed. Maybe Scorpius was right. It was time for her to live a little. And with that thought she adjusted her head in its resting place and let sleep overtake her once more.


	3. Are you a fan of delicious flavor?

Lily wasn't sure what it was exactly that woke her several hours after Lorcan had convinced her to stay and she had slipped back into the realm of dreams. Perhaps it was the light of the early afternoon pouring through the windows into the den, cascading beautifully over the wood of the piano and falling onto the rugs and adding a soft golden hue to the skin of the room's inhabitants. Maybe it was the excited noisiness that now filled the house, contrasting the painful lull of only a few hours earlier when the swishing of a cat's tale sent everyone's senses keeling over in paint. It was possible that it was the fact that she was missing the body next to hers as Lorcan had vacated his spot on the sofa though she couldn't say when. But what it was that she thought had really caused her to awaken after being dead to the world for what seemed like years was the magnificent aroma wafting throughout the entire establishment.

Regardless of what had caused her to stir, she became keenly aware as soon as she opened her eyes that she was very alone in the brightly lit room. From somewhere off in the house she could hear the hub bub of teenage voices sounded excited and rowdy but not in the drunk way they had the night before. Rather, this time it seemed to be the excitement of being alive and together on a day like today. Lily couldn't help herself, she let her rosy lips curl into a slight smile as she stretched her arms up over her head, letting them bend at the elbow to hand back over the end of the sofa, hooding her eyes as she woke her body up.

After a moment or two she decided it was probably best she try and find where everyone else was, especially since the only people she knew here were Lorcan and Scorpius, not that she even really knew Scorpius other tan their brief interaction early that morning. Sitting up she pushed herself to a sitting position. Running her hands through her red hair she worked out the knots that had formed in it during the night. Glancing at her dress, she frowned at a few stains of spilled drinks that had found their way on to her dress. Rubbing one such spot of a rosy pink color she gave up in frustration when she found that it only worsened the problem.

Standing from the sofa she tried to remember her way around the house but everything from the night before was such a blur. Had she even been to the kitchen? Where on earth was she supposed to go? And so Lily wandered through a hallway done in neutral colors (browns and tans, the walls lined with paintings of nature), trying to figure out where all of the noise was coming from. Surely when she found the rowdy teenagers she would find the food.

As she passed one door she did a double take. The entire room was blue. The walls were a deep, rich blue like the ocean and the furniture was all covered in light blues which reflected the sky and even some man made shades. She was intrigued and so she wandered in to it a bit looking around. Unlike the other rooms there wasn't a painting to be found on the walls, only the furniture and a lone coffee table in from of a navy sofa. There were no scattered bottles in this room and the musk of the air inside made her wonder if it was even used on any other day but this one.

"Are you lost?" The girl's voice startled her and for a moment Lily wasn't sure where it was coming from. But then she found her. Huddled on the floor in a corner to Lily's left, facing a book shelf that was built into the wall was a girl Lily was sure she had seen before but couldn't quite place a name to. Her black hair was in braided pig tails that hung down right past her shoulders, the way a mother do them on a child. On her face were two clear blue eyes, like ice and they were quite intimidating as the girl looked up at her, it made Lily feel small even though she was the one on higher ground.

"Er, yes. I can't quite seem to remember where the kitchen is." She was embarrassed. Not because she couldn't find the kitchen but because this girl probably was one of the people that came to this gathering every year and she had gate crashed. She was a Potter for Merlin's sake, what on earth was she doing at Malfoy Manor?

A small smirk played on the girl's face and Lily tried to remember who she might be but no name came to mind. "You're almost there. This Manor is like a maze, even to those of us who have been here before, no worries. Make the next right and follow that hall to the end, it will bring you right into the kitchen."

Lily thought it was funny how she was giving directions as though into town. "Thanks." She turned to go, feeling a bit awkward just standing there inspecting the blue room with this strange girl on the floor.

"Wait." She did. She stopped right where she was, though she couldn't have said why. It was a very strange situation she had found herself in so perhaps she was afraid of disobeying anyone for fear she would be chucked out. That was a silly thought though. Lorcan wouldn't let anything bad befall her, would he? Did she even know him that well really? Turning backing she saw that the girl was on her feet now.

She was wearing a play skirt made up of black and grey checks with pleats, as though for a private school although Lily had a feeling it was just a style choice. Also she wore a white blouse. The top two buttons were undone and it stopped about a half inch above her waist line showing some of her flat pale midriff and the sleeves were three quarter length. Her feet were bear. A very strange party outfit, Lily thought.

"Your dress is dirty." Thank you captain obvious. Lily was tiring of this. She had head ache and wanted to go get some food and then go home because it was obvious all of the people here, including the host whom she had half a mind to think would be passed out in some crevice of the manor rather than in the kitchen once she finally made it there, were out of their bloody minds. "Come with me."

Barefoot girl walked right past Lily into the hall. Lily was oddly drawn to looking at her feet. The nails on her toes seemed to have been painted black sometime in the past and it had chipped to the point where it looked very ragged. She wondered why the girl didn't just charm them to not chip. Without thinking she followed the girl down the hall and up a flight of stairs. Boy was she going to regret this when she had to find her way back to the blue room and then back to the kitchen. Why was she following this strange girl anyways?

Finally they reached a bedroom with the door half way open. Inside Lily was presented with a king sized bed and she thought maybe this was the master bedroom where Draco and Astoria would sleep. But then again this manor probably had several master sized rooms in it. Upon the bed there were resting several duffle bags and even a few suit cases. Before Lily could fully grasp what was going on Barefoot Girl was rifling through a duffle bag with a slytherin emblem tackily ironed on the side of it. After a few moments she produced from it a dark green tank top and a pair of black jeans. Typical slythern, Lily though. That was rude. The girl held the clothes out to Lily.

"Here. I always bring along an extra outfit incase someone spills." She smiled again. Lily took the clothes even though she wasn't really sure it was appropriate to accept help from people you didn't know. Especially what appeared to be slytherins you didn't know. Her father and her uncle would probably tell her to check the clothing for curses first. But this whole adventure was about defying her family wasn't it? So that was that.

"Er, thanks. I didn't know I was coming so I didn't have a chance to pack anything…" As she spoke she crossed to a chair decorated in purple velvet. Setting the outfit down on it she reached back and unzipped herself. Glancing over her shoulder she felt a bit more comfortable to see that her companion had turned back to the duffle bag and was rifling through it again. Slipping quickly out of her stained dress and pulling on the pair of jeans she breathed a sigh of relief when they slid on without complaint. Pulling the tank top back over her head she smoothed out her abandoned dress on the chair, thinking she'd leave it there and retrieve it later when she was ready to leave, if she could find her way back to this room.

Turning back towards the bed she watched the girl. Barefoot girl had taken out her braids and was now using a hair brush to smooth out the curls that had been left in their wake. Her hair now hung down to her mid back and it was quite lovely the way it caught the light of the room. "You have very pretty hair." Lily smiled when the girl looked over her shoulder at her. Sure she was a bit odd and wasn't wearing any shoes but she was being kind to Lily so she might as well be kind back.

"Thanks. I have my mother to thank for that." She finished dragging the brush through her hair and deposited it back into her bag turning to face Lily. "You wear my clothes quite well. For a Gryffindor in Slytherin colors." She smiled and laughed a bit when Lily looked surprised. "Word travels fast that the daughter of Harry Potter is in Malfoy Manor. Don't worry though. We're really laid back here. We liked to leave our parent's grudges in the past where they belong. I'm Victoria Goyle, it's very nice to meet you." She stepped towards Lily and extended her hand, which Lily took still not quite sure what to make of it.

She did know Vicotria but she had graduated a year earlier with Darcy so that was why she wasn't quite familiar. It was funny to Lily how young she looked and how tiny she was when Lily knew for a fact both of her parents were…er…big boned. But it was funny the way genetics worked like that. She was happy that Victoria was being kind to her though, things could have been a lot worse. Lily was about to needlessly introduce herself back when her stomach roared for attention. Her cheeks flushed the same color as her hair and she screwed up her face in embarrassment. But it was unnecessary because after a moment both she and Victoria irrupted in a fit of laughter. It was a very odd situation, she thought, her family would never believe it (not that she cared, she kept having to remind herself).

"Let's get you down to the kitchen for some food. Scorp always has the best breakfast's after a bash. At least the first night, after that you can never be sure what he's mixed in with things." She winked at Lily and headed out the door.

Scorpius Malfoy cooking? This endeavor of hers just seemed to be getting more and more surprising by the moment. Lily followed Victoria back down the stairs and a down a hallway where Lily was again met with air potent with the aroma of breakfast foods. Her stomach continued it's rampage against the inside of her skin to keep her aware of its existence. What she wouldn't give for a cup of coffee and a muffin. Luckily coffee was one of the smells she was best at picking up on and it was definitely somewhere in the house.

They finally reached the kitchen which was probably as big as her grandmother's entire house back at the burrow. There were several islands and a large table with about ten chairs around it. Every surface was either covered with food, which all looked delicious, or had someone sitting on it.

"Oi, Vicky, where you been, my love?" A boy with sandy colored hair pulled Victoria to him as soon as they entered the room and held her snuggly to him. He looked at her as though she were the only person in the room, in the world even. Lily had never seen him before in her life.

"Well I can't spend all my time doting on you now can I? Look who I found roaming the corridors lost out of her mind. Lorc, you should really keep track of your friends better. Anything could have happened to her here you know." She spoke all of this without looking away from the boy with the sandy hair.

Lily looked around the room at the mention of Lorcan and she finally found him sitting at one of the chairs near the table. He was already looking at her and when he saw her looking back he smiled and tilted his head in a way that indicated that she should come over to him. She did just that, feeling very exposed and alone now that Victoria was otherwise engaged but found there wasn't a seat. She looked around for one but instantly felt herself being pulled down onto Lorcan's lap.

She half expected people to jeer and give them a hard time about her sitting herself on his lap but they didn't. And she always didn't know what he was trying to do, if he would try to kiss her or not. She wasn't sure how she felt about him kissing her while other people were looking on in a right state of mind, at least not yet. But he didn't try to kiss her. All he did was put on of his hands on her back and the other once on her lap where it held hers. Leaning in, he whispered in her ear. "Sorry, I didn't want to wake you."

"It's alright. Victoria got me some clothes." Lily smiled reassuringly at him and Lorcan nodded knowingly.

"Yeah. Vicky's a good girl. That's Fred Smotley she's with. He went to Durmstrang and absolutely hated it. Didn't end up graduating, dropped out right before. But they found each other last summer and have been inseparable since. It's rather sickening actually." But Lily could hear the humor in his voice.

Everyone had been thus far having their own separate conversations in their little groups but that was soon to be interrupted. A loud bang was heard throughout the kitchen as a frying pan was smacked against a counter top. "Will you all shut up I'm trying to cook you a fantastic breakfast." For a moment everything was quiet. And then all at once everyone started laughing and went right on talking.

Looking over her shoulder Lily found the source of the outburst. Standing in an isolated corner of the large room, wearing an apron of all things over the outfit he had been wearing during their last encounter was Scorpius Malfoy. His hair was pulled back now, in a ponytail and he had a bit of flour on his cheeks which Lily couldn't help but think made him look quite adorable. She found herself thinking about how that ponytail would ruin his hair for the day. When he took it out it would leave the slightest of crease markers in his perfectly straight hair and he would have to take a shower to fix it right again.

So immersed in her day dreaming was she that it took her a moment to realize that he had stopped what he was doing completely and was staring right back at her. With the amount he had drank the night before and the fact he had still been drinking that morning Lily would think he would have still been quite sloshed. On the contrary his eyes looked very clear of any inebriation and were quite steadily locked onto her own. Smirking, Scorpius wiped his hands on his apron and picked something up off a plate near by. Lily's heart flipped as he walked towards her and stopped next to the chair her and Lorcan were sharing.

"What do you say, Potter girl? Are you a fan of delicious flavor?" Lily wasn't quite sure what kind of question that was but all she knew was Scorpius Malfoy must be some sort of hypnotist or else the professors at their school were doing a first rate job in teaching him wandless magic because she was under some sort of spell. She had to be because she couldn't look away. All she was able to do in response to his question was smile and nod. He laughed at her and held out what looked to her like a piece of green fruit. Honeydew was it called? "Taste this. It'll hold you over till I'm done cooking."

Before she could move to accept it he pressed the fruit piece to her lips which she opened and then popped it inside. It _was _delicious, she would give him that. He must have done something to the fruit to make it taste different than what it normally did to her. But then again maybe it was just thrill of being here that was making every sensation that much more exaggerated.

**[Author's Notes: Ugh sorry that took so long to post. I always knew how I wanted it to go and I had some notes written down but I couldn't get myself going on it. haha. Let me know what you think of this chapter and what you would like to see happen with them. I have a lot of ideas but I'm always open to more. Read and Review please.]**


	4. OMG Let's Make Out!

((Chapter Notes: I'm sorry this took so long. Good news though I got a burst of creativity today so not only will you get this now but you'll probably get the next chapter fairly soon as well. I don't own any of this, in case you didn't know.))''

Lily stretched her arms up over her head to loosen the muscles that had been tensing in her shoulders. She'd been sitting on this stool since abandoning her position on Lorcan's lap for about an hour and they were beginning to set. When Scorpius had finally finished cooking and had dished out all the food several people had vacated the room, probably off to find a private nook to sit and talk in or off to smoke or find some alcohol to wash down their eggs or something. How they could function with this kind of lifestyle Lily had no idea. In Gryffindor, at least the people she had associated herself with could hardly drink one night out of the week without having a massive hang over that lasted days sometimes when they forgot their Hangover Potions.

Now, slightly later, no one else was left in the kitchen but her and their dutiful host who had graciously served himself last. Even Lorcan had wandered off somewhere after a short tubby Slytherin with black hair had whispered something in his ear. It didn't really bother Lily that he had left her here. Of course it was odd being alone with Scorpious again, not that they had really been alone earlier but still. She had finished off the last bit of eggs and bacon on her plate and was taking a moment to digest while watching him eat.

A typical boy of his age would ravage the food on his plate, shoveling it into his mouth and then bounding off to the next adventure. Scorpius on the other hand seemed completely absorbed in his meal, and she could see on his face the way he was savoring every single bite. It was funny, she had always been taught that the Malfoys were spoiled and pretentious. In that fashion she would imagine they would not be able to appreciate anything but she could say at least that the boy in front of her appreciated good cooking, in this case his own.

After a moment of watching him Lily became very self conscious about the thought that he might look up and find her staring. She couldn't help it really, he just did everything with such poise, eating, drinking, cooking, making her want to run her fingers through his long blonde hair…Inhaling deeply, Lily stood from the stool she had been on and cleared her throat for no reason in particular. Finishing off the glass of orange juice that had been in front of her she picked up her plate and a few other pieces of glassware that had been discarded around her and headed for the sink.

Lily liked to clean sometimes. Especially among this chaos it seemed like a constant, something she knew, unlike all of this tomfoolery and drug use happening all around her. Finding a dish cloth and a bottle of soap next to the sink, Lily turned on the tap wetting the plates and covering them with suds. Smiling to herself as she watched the bubbles form Lily momentarily forgot her present company. Going to work on cleaning the dishes she had accumulated, the red head began to hum to herself a song Grandmother Molly used to sing to her as a child that she couldn't quite remember the name of.

It wasn't until she hear Scorpius' voice, far closer to her than she had expected anyone to be before she realized they were there, that she remembered he was even there. Managing to contain her nerves enough to avoid dropping the plate she was currently scrubbing, she turned her face to the side to see Scorpius standing a few feet away leaning against the counter looking at her. There was a glimmer of amusement in his eyes that made her knees weak for a reason she couldn't quite describe. She had heard of boys like him, the kind that even though you knew nothing about them and even though you were supposed to hate them for what they were or what blood line they came from they made your heart skip a beat. The kind of boy that Rose would say she'd like to take a romp in bed with if they ran into him walking around London even though they'd probably never see him again. But she didn't want to think about Rose now.

"You know, Potter, I know how much pleasure my father would get from the fact that Harry Potter's daughter was doing my dishes but there's really no need. We can just leave it till later and I'll do it." He smirked at her and Lily couldn't help but smile back as she turned back to her work.

"No, really, I don't mind. After all I did crash your party. It's the least I could do." The way her voice sounded when she said that surprised Lily. It rather sounded like she was flirting with him and that was all kinds of impossible. She must be tired, or still drunk. Yes, that was it, there was simply a lot of alcohol left in her system. Taking a deep breath she tried to steady herself as she set the clean plate to the side and picked up a new one.

"Well then, at least allow me to help you." Lily's breath hitched in her throat because as he said this, Scorpius had walked up behind her and reached around her to take a plate from the sink in front of her himself. He stood there for a moment and she closed her eyes as though it would make her disappear and then he walked away to a drawer where he retrieved a second dish rag and began cleaning his plate.

They stood there washing their dishes and starting in on the rest of those strewn around the kitchen for several minutes. Every so often Scorpius would spray her with water from the sink and make her shriek at the temperature and they would erupt into a fit of laughter for a moment or so. But for the most part they were just smiling and washing and sometimes catching each others eyes as though they were sharing some sort of secret. Although if there were a secret Lily wished he would let her in on it because she so desperately wanted to be.

When they had just a few dishes left Lorcan came back into the room looking rather bothered. "Hey." Lily's expression instantly fell when she saw his expression. "Is everything alright?"

Lorcan glanced at her and seemed almost bothered by her presence which struck a nerve in Lily. "Uh, yeah. Everything's fine."

Obviously not, but Lily didn't know him well enough to push. "Okay." She looked down at her hands, idle since Scorpius had turned his back on them and taken over the task of washing the rest of the dishes in the sink. Walking over to the drawer he had gotten his rag from she retrieved another one and started drying the dishes they had already washed.

Lorcan saw the disappointment and confusion on her face and sighed, walking over to lean against the counter next to her. When he spoke it was quiet, not quite soft enough to be a secret but at an intimate volume. "Lysander just flooed me in the study." His words were tentative, cautious, as though he didn't know what her reaction would be, and rightfully so because she was in no way expecting that.

A sharp intake of breath was all Lily could manage. When his name had been spoken her heart had broken all over again, and for a moment she wondered how she could have been here for such a short period of time and already managed to go even a moment without thinking about him. "Really?" Her voice betrayed her although she tried so hard not to let her pain show as she was sure Scorpius was listening to their every syllable. "What did he have to say?"

Lorcan's hand was on her back and Lily was aware of the fact she had stopped drying in anticipation of his answer. "Well it seems Hugo, stupid twat, let slip that you were here with me…Lysander obviously took that very much to heart and demanded to know where you were and what trouble I had gotten you into." He paused. "I told him it was none of his business anymore, he had lost that right. He said…" He didn't seem to want to go on.

"What?" She needed to know, even if it was horrible, she needed to know for some reason that she couldn't explain.

'He said that I was a pathetic …" he stopped. "He said I was pathetic and that he had always known I was jealous of him but that he hadn't thought even I was capable of this…"

"What else?"

"And he congratulated me on being able to nail his left overs…" His voice was very soft as though that would make it hurt less. It didn't.

"Oh." Lily put the dish she was holding back on the cabinet and leaned against it, tears welling in her eyes. Lorcan's hand rubbed her back where it was and she made no move to stop him.

"I told him to go to hell…I'm sorry. Don't let him get to you, please…" He sounded sincere for some reason and Lily had no idea why. What reason did he have to want her to be happy? Why was she even here? Closing her eyes she inhaled deeply. And then there was that voice again, the one she hadn't been expecting.

"You want to know what I think?" Her eyes opened and she looked to her left to see Scorpius had finished his washing (or at least left the remaining dishes to be washed in the sink for later) and was now seated on the counter top, watching them. Once he saw that she was listening he continued. "I always did think Lysander was a bit unstable. And it sounds like he's the one who's jealous. I don't know what he's done to you but," He was speaking directly to Lily and their eyes were locked, she felt lost in them. It was almost hard to feel the pain coursing through her chest when he looked at her like that. "whatever it is it sounds like he's realized he doesn't deserve you and doesn't want to believe that anyone else might."

Lily hardly heard what he had to say, she was so lost in looking into the depths of those eyes. Yes, Lorcan was standing right here holding her ever so affectionately as though hoping to hold her together if she began to fall apart but she didn't care much about that, because she was holding Scorpius' gaze and he wasn't looking away. It was almost as though she could see the sadness and yearning in his eyes and she was feeling in her own soul. Had they the opportunity they might have been able to stay like that forever. But life doesn't work out that way.

At that exact moment there was a commotion in the next room, lots of hooting and hollering and high pitched voices. When they looked towards the door to the kitchen, the moment broken, Lily saw Victoria walk through the door a rather irritated look on her face. Glancing around at the scene in the kitchen she appeared unmoved. Her eyes landed on Scorpius and Lily watched her lips twitch a bit. "The wicked witch of the west has returned from her stay in oz. I'm afraid the lady of the house has returned, Malfoy, and I think you know how I feel about it. I'll be in the blue room." And with that she took off through the entrance she and Lily had used earlier.

Lily only had time to consider the idea that Malfoy's mother had returned home early and whether she would mind there being so many guests when there was another entrance into the kitchen. A goddess with dark skin, piercing dark brown eyes, and a braid down to her waist came bursting through the doors and straight to their host. Lily watched and her stomach twisted as the girl snaked her arms around his neck and she placed herself so she was standing between his knees looking up at him, a magnificent smile plastered on her face.

"Irina, my love, you're home early." His voice had changed from the moment before when he had been comforting her. Now it was husky with hidden meaning and when Lily glanced at him she saw that his eyes had a hungry glint in them as his hands found the sides of the vixen who had stolen his attention.

"I just missed you so much and you know how much I hate missing these parties. After all considering what they mean to us I'd imagine you were aching for my return as much as I was. I just happened to be able to talk mummy and daddy into letting me return early. Aren't we lucky." Her mouth twisted to match the rest of her face, which was darkened as she focused solely on him. It was as though they had forgotten Lily and Lorcan were even there. The only good thing about this situation is that Lily had almost forgotten why she had previously been so upset. Almost.

Scropius' hands were on the side of her face, his thumb running over her temple as she pulled him off of the counter top. "Oh My God, Scorpius, Let's make out. I must have you to myself." It was a very odd phrase for Lily to hear Irina Zabini utter but the way she giggled as Scorpius followed her from the room, completely oblivious to the fact he had previously been involved in another conversation, made Lily think perhaps it had another meaning as well. Everyone and everything here was so full of subtext. It was really getting rather irritable.

((**Author's notes:: Okkaay haha in this chapter I tried to establish more of a connection between Scorpius and Lily but you knew I had to give him a girlfriend, I mean come on now. Life would be too perfect, and life is certainly not perfect. Read and Review please. Let me know what you think, Let me know what you'd like to see happen. I should have the next chapter up in a few days but I won't post it until at I get an adequate number of reviews on this one.))**


	5. Go Have Sex Kids

"Oh she really, _really_ makes me angry the way she thinks she can just flounce in here unannounced and take over the entire party. That bitch!"

Lily was sitting on the sofa she had slept on the previous night with Lorcan. With her knees pulled up to her chest, the soft red hair that clung to her scalp spilled onto the arm of the sofa that she was leaning on. She remained quiet as Victoria ranted and raved about Irina's surprise return. While the girl went on and on about how much she loathed the Zabini girl, the biracial goddess that any girl would kill to be, Lily couldn't help but wonder what Scopius and said goddess were doing at that very moment.

Not that she cared what that boy did with his girlfriend, it was his own right, his own house, he could do whatever he wanted with her. But still, not a moment before Irina had arrived she had felt there was a moment between herself and Scorpius…perhaps she had just imagined it… Probably, she was very prone to daydreaming after all, romanticizing situations that had no business being romanticized. Oh well.

Glancing over at Victoria she found her in the same position she had been for the last twenty minutes. She was lying flat on her back on top of the piano, head hanging off the end so it was facing Lily. Part of the red head wanted to be concerned for her health because of all t he blood that must be rushing to her head however Lily was past that point. So focused was she on what was going on elsewhere in the house between a certain blonde and his vixen that it was quite hard for her to focus on any thing else. That is, of course, until she head the flick of a lighter and glanced over to see Victoria rolled over onto her stomach lighting a blunt that she had mysteriously pulled from somewhere on her anatomy, probably her bra but Lily wasn't too concerned.

This was enough of a distraction for her, at least for the time being. Albus and James had dabbled with pot before she had even entered Hogwarts and she had always been rather worried about it. Her parents told her they'd never done drugs. At least in front of each other. One night while her mum had been brushing her hair she had whispered in her ear that she'd tried pot once, her sixth year when her dad hadn't been at school but he never knew it. And she had added that if Lily wanted to try it she should just be careful who she was trying it with. But the inclination nor the opportunity had ever presented itself to Lily and she wasn't about to go looking for it.

Her brothers had told her it was like…flying in a way. It made everything more spectacular. What they meant like that, she didn't quite understand and it had never occurred to her that it was something people did in front of other people. That is why, when Victoria sucked a long drag into her perfectly sculpted lips and let her eyes hood as she held it in Lily was completely transfixed with the activity. This did not go unnoticed by her companion when she exhaled and opened her eyes, which magically locked immediately on Lily's green ones.

"Do you want some?" Victoria began to extend her arm to Lily.

"Erm…no…I've never done before. Not quite yet I don't think." Victoria considered this for a moment and shrugged, placing the roll back between her lips for another hit. Lily watched her for a few moments, intrigued. "What's it feel like?"

An odd smile spread across the other girls' face when Lily said that. She opened her eyes again and holding the smoldering joint between her thumb and forefinger on her right hand she rolled over again, so she was looking up at the ceiling. "You know, Potter girl, it feels amazing. Like I can isolate every single muscle and every single nerve and cell that makes up my body. Each experience is more enhanced, everything is so much…more." Victoria breathed the last word like it amazed her.

Lily considered this. Her brothers had explained it to her several times trying to get her to want to partake with them but something about hearing it from another female seemed to make it different for her. She could feel the tingling she thought Victoria was describing all over her body and she found herself wanting to feel it too, full strength, like Vicky was. Considering her options she cocked her head to the side a bit. "Do you…do you think I could try it?"

The grin on Victoria's face when she sat up was unquestionably giddy. The prospect of corrupting the daughter of the Boy-Who-Lived must be terribly exciting for her. Beckoning her over, Vicky waited until Lily was standing next to the piano and handed her the joint. "Here. Hold it like this, between these two fingers. Have you ever smoked a cigarette before?"

"No…"

"Okay. Well when you put it in your mouth you're going to want to suck hard. You're probably going to cough a lot, and you won't feel any effects this time probably but if you want to we can smoke again later and it should kick in." She was babbling excitedly as she fixed Lily's fingers around it and Lily wasn't entirely sure what she was saying but taking a deep breath and exhaling first, she lifted the small roll to her mouth and sucked in hard. Struggling to hold the smoke in she failed horrible and her eyes teared up as she hacked and gagged on the tainted air filling her lungs.

Victoria was laughing as she took the blunt back from her. Patting her on the back she shook her head. "See, I told you. It'll be better later, I promise." She resumed her position lying on her stomach on the piano as Lily went back to the sofa, still coughing a bit but not as bad. She was not quite sure she would want to try again later. Her throat would have to recover from the shot first, she thought. They sat in silence as Victoria killed her blunt and set the remnants on the wood next to her.

Now that she had distracted herself for a bit Lily was back to thinking about Scorpius. It was ridiculous really that she was so fixated on him because first of all he had a girlfriend. Second of all she had just gotten out of a relationship and had no business having a crush on anyone, let alone him. Third of all Lorcan was really quite sweet and she had a feeling he had been hurt before and she didn't want to hurt him again. Also, she could see herself really liking him if she gave him a chance. Oh great, another blonde to think about.

"What do you think they're doing?" Lily heard the words come out of her mouth before she really thought about them. It was just that, she was almost certain that Irina and Scorpius were off in one of the master bedrooms fucking like bunnies and she was trying to convince herself that maybe they were just talking. Yeah, people in relationships talked right? And they had a lot to talk about, like her trip, and how much they had missed each other, and why Harry Potter's daughter had been in Malfoy Manor's kitchen. It was completely plausible that they were just lying around talking, right?

"Who, the boys?" In truth Lily had completely forgotten that Lorcan had snuck off with Freddy about ten minutes after they had relocated to this room. She was a horrible date and she hoped Lorcan would never find out how much she thought about Scorpius instead of him. But she wasn't really his date was she? They had slept together but that didn't really mean anything right? He was just comforting her because his brother was a jack ass, right? Who was she kidding, she knew they were treading on dangerous ground between friends and more. She would have to be careful. But she didn't have time to consider this because Victoria continued talking.

"I've no idea, really. Probably off raiding Scorpius's stash somewhere. I'm sure by now Freddy has found out where it is. He's crafty like that, it's like he can smell the dry herbs." There was a crooked, happy smile upon her face as she hung it off the piano again. "I do rather wish they would come back though. There are a few things I'd like to do to Freddy when I get my hands on him...You have no idea, Lily. Sex is so amazing when you're high and…." She giggled "I'm really starting to feel it…"

Lily laughed. It was really amusing to watch Victoria when she was like this, so care free, not really aware of herself almost. Stretching out, Lily laid herself out on the sofa. "Well I guess that's something else I haven't done that I'll have to take your word on." That wa a mistake.

Victoria jumped up and her eyes were almost popping out of her head as she looked at Lily. "You mean to tell me you're a _virgin_? You dated Lysander Salamander for over a year and you're still a _virgin_!?!" She erupted into a fit of giggles and clapped her hands. "This is priceless, it really is! Oh Potter Girl, sex is wonderful; you're going to love it. Really! You don't want to settle though, if you have sex with someone gross that's almost as bad as not having sex at all. Ahhhh I want to get you laid" She was like a child with a new toy, excited and crazy without ever leaving the top of the piano. It was a site to see, really. But she laughed herself out and took a deep breath and laid down again seeming to be calmed down now.

There was a loud commotion in the hallway as the door banged open. In burst Lorcan and Freddy. Lorcan scanned the room and finally fixated his gaze on Lily but Freddy never had eyes for anyone but Victoria. Her head was still hanging off the side of the piano and her eyes were hooded in a different way now, one that was obviously meant for Freddy. Lily was a bit embarrassed when he began to climb on to the piano and seemed to meld his body to the one already situated there. But her view of them was cut off soon enough by the blonde that sat on the sofa above her.

Lorcan's eyes were on her face as his fingers played on her stomach, finding their way under the bottom edge of the tank top she was wearing. Leaning down, he kissed her. Tenderly at first and then with more passion, which Lily met with just as much. As conflicted as she was about what she was feeling in her life in this place she was caught up in kissing Lorcan currently, whether or not she would feel this way later. Lorcan's fingers were playing higher and higher on her bare stomach and it was making Lily feel very strange, strange in a way she had felt in a way with Lysander previously but still very different, as though she was sure it was going somewhere.

Their moment was interrupted however by a fit of laughter coming from the piano. Both of them looked up to see Victoria's leg being held in a restraining position by Freddy and her skirt hiked up. She didn't seem to be able to control herself, there were tears falling down her face from the laughter. Seeing that they had disturbed the other couple only caused her to laugh harder. She did manage to get one sentence out between gasping for breath and fending off Freddy. "Go have sex kids." She laughed again but then noticed they weren't moving. "No, I'm serious. Go."

**((Author's notes:: Again, sorry for the wait. Hope you like it. I'll try to be better with updates. Let me know what you think, what you want, what would work, what doesn't work, complaints. Again, unless I get enough reviews I won't bother hurrying the updates.))**


	6. I wish it didn't have to hurt

Lily wasn't exactly sure what had come over it. Two days ago if you had asked her if she could ever see herself losing her virginity at a week long party at Malfoy Manor she would have slapped you across your face and probably spit in it for good measure. Furthermore if you had said it would probably be with her ex-boyfriends twin she would have entered you into some sort of insane asylum because at that point it would have been clear that you were out of your mind. However, here she was being led down the hallway of Malfoy Manor by none other than Lorcan Scamandar. And she had a feeling they weren't looking for a room to talk in.

As they walked along and Lorcan held her hand firmly in his own she thought about what sex would be like. Rose had told her once upon a time when they had been friends, which they never would be again, that it was wonderful and awful at the same time. Giving yourself fully to someone was supposed to be the scariest and most spectacular thing you could ever do. And Lily was thinking she might not mind doing that with Lorcan. After all she trusted him and he seemed to care about her and like her, at least a little bit, even if she was just a stand in for Darcy. Poor Lorcan, he deserved someone who would treat him right, he was so kind and considerate. She wondered why it had taken her so long to realize that. Probably because he'd never been around and never had cared until now. Probably.

It wasn't until they'd been walking for a few minutes that Lily realized Lorcan's hand had moved from her hand to be resting around her waist. It was a strange gesture for him to be making she thought, which was silly because she had kissed him, why shouldn't he be putting his arm around her waist? He had every right to. And she couldn't help thinking he had permission to put his arm and his hand several other places as well. But that was why they were walking, she supposed.

No sooner had she thought this than she was steered into a doorway. The room they entered was not unlike the one she had been brought to by Victoria a few hours earlier. The only thing missing was the duffel bag and the various toiletries girls carried with them to such events. The bed was facing a row of windows and out of them Lily could see the afternoon sun peaking in, the fascinating colors it threw across the dark bedspread only proving to highlight the fact that the bed was there.

A bit of nerves hit the red head then, and she wasn't sure why. Maybe it was the fact that Lorcan had left her side and she felt so safe when he was present there, maybe it was the idea that very soon she could be doing things her father would disapprove of on that very bed. Or maybe it was clicking sound the door made as Lorcan shut it softly, making her feel quite shut in and a final signature writ on her giving herself up.

Turning towards the sound, Lily met Lorcan's brilliant blue eyes with her frightened brown ones. She wasn't scared of him, per se, merely the prospect of what they might do together. After all she was still rather hung up on his brother and wasn't quite sure what the protocol was for shagging your exes twin brother so soon after separation. But Lorcan didn't look bothered in the slightest by the situation or by her expression. Instead he looked quite relaxed and was busy studying her. He stepped forward and as both his hands and eyes ghosted over her Lily thought she should be embarrassed at the way her was looking at her. Instead she found herself almost enjoying it. He looked so much like his brother that she could almost imagine that he was Lysander and oh how her teenage heart had fluttered when he had looked at her the way Lorcan was now. How she had wished he would touch her as tenderly and that he could make her feel the way she felt.

Unconsciously, one of Lily's hands fluttered up to meet one of Lorcan's, resting on top of it and moving with it as it formed against her side and traveled up and down and across the fabric covering her. And when he kissed her she let him, thrilling in the kiss the same way she had when he had returned to the piano room earlier and the same way she had enjoyed all of those late nights on the grounds with his brother the year before. She kissed him as though she had forgotten who he was, forgotten that she had loved someone close to him and had her heart broken. Unfortunately, had she taken time to consider it she might have been kissing him as though he were that someone.

Slowly, Lily felt herself being guided backwards until her legs bumped again what she assumed was the side of the bed. Again that flutter of her tiny heart with impending situations, and yet she lowered her body so that she was sitting on the bedspread. Lorcan followed suit and she turned her head as he sat next to her, never breaking contact as though it would break whatever spell they were under. A tiny gasp escaped her lips as she felt his cold fingers sneak their way under her borrowed shirt. There were so many emotions building inside of her. On the one hand she was thoroughly enjoying the feelings his actions were causing and on the other hand she was completely terrified not knowing how far things would progress or whether she wanted them to or not.

And yet, again, as though her body was acting on its own Lily extended her hands to Lorcan's sides and clutched at them, feeling the cottony texture of his shirt on her fingertips and pulling at it a bit. He seemed to know what he was doing, however, because when she pulled at his shirt, whether or not that was her intention she wasn't sure anymore, he broke contact with her only for a moment to shift so that he could pull the shirt off of his. This was a surprise that Lily only had a moment to consider. She'd never taken off any of Lysander's clothing and found herself wondering if he looked like Lorcan did. She imagined in her mind that he looked better. Lorcan looked good but he was no athlete, he was just Lorcan.

That didn't stop her from reaching out to touch him though and scooting closer to him as she met his lips in a kiss again. However, her passionate moment was interrupted when he made the decision for her that she was going to be even with him and pulled her shirt up over her head, setting it on the top of the bed beside her. This threw lily off a bit and she did sit back for a moment. The look on her face must have told her companion that this was all going a bit too fast for her because he didn't immediately act again. Her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment. She'd never been exposed like this in front of anyone but family before and she was more than a little bit self conscious.

When she saw out of the corner of her eye Lorcan reaching for her she almost wanted to move away but when his hand merely gripped hers she felt a wave of relief wash over her. He leaned towards her and whispered in her ear. A funny thing, she thought since they were the only two in the room, but then this was an intimate setting and she understood the choice. "We don't have to do anything you don't want to. I'm sorry if I got carried away."

Lily looked at him. His eyes were the same, his face similar, The same cool and collected face she had seen when he had closed the door behind them. He wouldn't be angry if they stopped but she knew that he wouldn't be doing it if he didn't want to. And she supposed that she did as well. After all she liked kissing him well enough and he made her feel…things…that she'd never thought to feel before. No one had ever acted like this with her in the past and she was sure she knew why. No one particularly acted the way the those in the Malfoy circle did, especially not Lysander. At least not with her. He was still watching her expression and she his, trying to judge each other's placement and thoughts and feelings.

And Lily decided she didn't know what she wanted but she was certainly going to find out. Instead of answering him with consent or rejection she tilted her head up and kissed him, feeling quite proud of herself for being so assertive and almost adventurous. Lorcan waited a few moments responding to the kiss but not moving as though he would scare her by touching her again. But then he seemed to realize she wasn't about to stop him and he leaned into her kiss again. Reaching out he curled his hand around one of her bare sides. The cool touch sent shivers through Lily but they felt good in a way and she leaned backwards, a natural action that found her lying on the soft material of the comforter underneath them.

Lorcan moved then, closer to her first and then into a position so that he was leaning over her, supported by one of his elbows. His free hand was in her hair as he kissed her. But then he stopped both. Raising his head for a moment Lily wondered if he had decided to stop on his own and worried that she had done something wrong or rather not done something she was supposed to. Didn't he know she was new at this and he was going to have to help her out? But then she felt his hand on her shoulder and was only slightly surprised when his lips were lowered to her collarbone, kissing it softly.

His hand ran over her arms and her sides and even rested on her hips for a few moments as he kissed her skin tenderly. First her collarbone and her neck and then she suppressed giggles as his affections tickled her exposed stomach. There was a dull feeling inside of her as she craved more but she soon found out she was not ready for it. As he moved to kiss her upper chest Lily's heart beat faster and her breathing hitched a bit. She couldn't stop herself though, as much as her body might have been in control thus far she couldn't deny that she was not mentally prepared for this much activity at once.

Lorcan's fingers were tracing lines along the skin outlining her white bra and getting dangerously close to slipping underneath to expose the skin there to his searching lips when Lily's eyes squeezed shut and she whispered "Stop."

And he did. Immediately. As though it were no big chore or disappointment, Lorcan immediately removed his hands and his lips from her skin and sat up on the bed, over her. Looking down at her his expression still did not change but her did run his fingers through her hair. After a few moments Lily became aware that there were tears in her eyes and she wasn't quite sure why. He saw them to and as one seeped out of the side and tried to glide down onto the bedspread he caught it and wiped it off. "Are you okay?"

She looked at him, trying to decide what the best answer to that would be. "Yes. Thank you. I'm sorry." And she was.

"There's nothing to be sorry about." He moved up onto the bed, leaning against the wall at the head of it. "Come here." And without waiting for a response he pulled her up next to him so that her head was resting against the front of his shoulder. A familiar position with his brother, she effortlessly curled against him, her hands finding the comfortable place on the front and back of his torso. However, when she placed them she became acutely aware of the fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt and neither was she.

"I should put my shirt on." The statement was sure but she did not move. It was very comfortable there next to him especially when his arm found its way to curl around her back and hold her, the skin to skin contact sending another shiver down her spine.

"Do you mind it off?"

"Not terribly, I guess." His tone was so nonchalant she wondered if he was experiencing the same comfort and lack of motivation to abandon it as she was.

"Then just sit here for awhile because I don't either." She nodded against his shoulder and breathed in. The smell of him made her miss Lysander a bit but she didn't want to think about that so she pushed it aside. Pulling her hand away from him she wrapped them around herself. He noticed. "Are you cold?"

"No, I'm just…embarrassed I guess." Her cheeks flushed. His hand reached out and pulled her hand away from her stomach, holding it in his own.

"Don't be. You're beautiful. Every piece of you is beautiful." He kissed the top of her head as though it were nothing and she smiled at the feeling. It felt like he really cared and she really believed that he did.

"I bet you say that to all the girls."

"I do." She hadn't been expecting that. Boy, was Lorcan more honest than his brother. She wasn't sure how much she liked it or disliked it. "Because it's true. Every girl is beautiful in their own way. Vicky is something else. She marches to her own beat and she's full of fire and life and doesn't take crap from anyone. You, you're sweet and gentle and so caring and genuine. It lights up a room. And Darcy…" He trailed off, and the tension that surrounded them for a moment made Lily said.

"I wish it didn't have to hurt, Lorcan. For either of us." She removed her other hand from covering herself and enveloped his hand in her two tiny ones, holding on to it. She didn't like that he was so sad and she wished she could do something for him but knew personally that no one could heal this hurt. Not anyone. Not even magic.

"Me too. But that's okay. It will get better in time. It always does." And then he was silent but he pulled her closer to him, wrapping his other arm around her and holding her there the way he had the night before when they'd fallen asleep together on the couch. She liked being there in his arms, she felt strangely safe. And even though she was in Malfoy Manor and Lysander was off shagging her cousin and her parents were probably out of their minds with worry she didn't care. She just wanted to stay in that moment for awhile longer because the boy who was sitting beside her holding her like somebody that mattered seemed to be the only person who could make her feel any better about her situation.

**Author's Note: Ok ok ok ok ok I know what you're going to say. You're going to say how dare I have an entire chapter without Scorpy in it AGAIN. And how dare I have Lily fool around with Lorcan and how dare I not have had Scorpy barge in and pull him off of her and take her as his own, And you know what I'm going to say? It's my story so suck it up. Hahaha. There will be Lily/Scorpy soon enough. I'm thinking the chapter after next will be adequate time to introduce it if I stay with the plot line I think I'm going to take for the next few chapters. Please try to understand though that I'm in finals week and in the middle of a run of a show so I'm not sure when I'll update again. Remember Scorpy action in 2 chapters. Oh, and its not going to be one of those things where right away they're on each other and in love. I've said it before and I'll say it again it's going to be a very very gradual progression, angsty and tense and then theres going to be huge amounts of pay off to the people who stick around so keep giving me suggestions and praise and all that fun stuff I really appreciate it but I might not always take your advice or follow through on your demands. Oh and Lily and Lorcan are probably going to date for awhile so you might want to get used to that now. Lol 3 enjoy**


	7. I never want to see you again

Lily wasn't sure when she had dozed off but she knew she had when she opened her eyes next. The sun was setting, spilling purples and oranges that were magnificent through the window and across the dark fabric she sat on. She was still aware of the fact that Lorcan was next to her, his arm still wrapped around her giving her a sense of comfort and safety despite the fact that she was still wearing only a bra. How scandalous, she thought, she would have to tell Mum about this one day.

Her mother had always been very understanding of the ways of teenagers and the fact that Lily would not be pure and wholesome forever. When her and Lysander had started dating Ginny had sat her daughter down and talked to her about being safe and making sure she really cared about the person she did end up having sex with the first time. Lily had been so bold as to ask her mum if dad had been the only boy she'd ever been with. The smile that had caused made her think no but the words she was told were the infamous I'll tell you when you're older line. She wouldn't forget to ask when she was older that was for sure.

Snuggling a bit closer to her companion, Lily glanced up at him. Lorcan looked content, more at ease than she had ever witnessed him to be. All of their encounters had left her thinking that he was always up tight and brooding but lying here next to him being held to his body made her feel connected to him in a way she never had before. It was nice. Her movement signaled to him that she had woken up and he tilted his chin towards her, the smile that formed on his face spreading to his eyes.

"Did you enjoy your nap?"

"Was I asleep long? I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was so tired." She shifted so that her arms were around his middle again, making herself more comfortable.

"Only for about an hour. I understand though. I tend to tire the women out." He was smirking now, his eyes set on the window again clearly joking. She found herself liking this side of him. But she wasn't about to let him get away with that comment. Jabbing him hard in the side she sat up on the bed, pulling away from him.

"Watch yourself mister." Lorcan laughed, grinning again. He was in a spectacular mood it seemed and it made her wonder why. "What's got you all happy now, huh? Glad to finally have a quiet moment while I slept."

The laughter stopped and her turned towards her. She wasn't as surprised now as she had been when he leaned in and kissed her softly, turning so that he was facing her. Pulling back he tucked a stray piece of red hair behind her ear. "You're incredibly adorable while you sleep, I rather enjoyed watching you."

Lily was surprised at this statement. No one had every told her she was cute when she slept before, not even Lysander. All Lysander had ever said was that she snored. That twat was such a liar, she did not snore. And even if she did Lorcan thought it was _adorable_ so she'd just keep on doing it. That was strange, she thought, that she was thinking she'd keep doing something because Lorcan liked it. How long was this going to last? She hadn't taken a moment to consider whether this all was happening between them because of their location or the fact that she had just had her heart broken by his brother.

Would their flirtation, if you could call it that, continued when they returned to school or would he go back to spending all of his time pretending she and her family didn't exist. Would she become a part of their group? These questions would have to be addressed but at that moment Lorcan pulled her back next to him and she let him because honestly she was enjoying the now, something she'd previously had a hard time doing. And she rather liked the way his arm fit around her as though she belonged this. Sure, maybe he had the same physical dimensions as Lysander did but he was so much different.

Closing her eyes Lily had every intention of basking in the sunlight that was quickly fading while she still had the chance. In a little while they would get dressed and go downstairs to find what everyone else was up to. She would hold his hand because she found herself wanting to and Vicky would look at her with a questioning look about whether they had done the deed or not. She would let them think what they liked. She was becoming rather fond of all those she had met since her arrival. Vicky was deceptively nice and Lily enjoyed the dynamic between them. She almost felt like she'd known the raven haired Slytherin forever.

What pulled her from her relaxation however was not Lorcan's prompting to go downstairs or a growl from her surely empty stomach. What interrupted their peaceful moment together where her fingers had found their way to lace with his was what seemed like an explosion downstairs. Perhaps explosion is the wrong word but one thing was for certain. What had previously been a completely silent atmosphere which made her feel like they were the only people in the manor anymore was suddenly overcome by chaotic yelling and she nearly jumped out of her skin.

None of the voices that were carrying on were particularly recognizable but Lily found herself having a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach that she was about to regret enjoying herself here so much. Lorcan watched as she jumped to the edge of the bed and snatched up her shirt, trying desperately to turn it right side out and pull it on as the angry voices came closer and closer. When she was able to pick one of them out, however, Lily stopped short and a feeling of panic hit her.

"Don't fucking tell me what I am and am not allowed to do! My sister is being held hostage by you people, why else wouldn't she have been at home for fucking Christmas?! None of us have heard from her in over twenty four hours and then Hugo fucking tells me she came here. I'll be lucky if she's not dead!"

James' dulcet tones seemed to echo even as they were somewhat muffled by the walls that separated her from him. Ripping her shirt over her head she flung Lorcan's at him as the door to their room banged open. Lily's doe eyes were wide and afraid when she looked up. There were maybe ten eyes peering in at them, the closest of which matched her own and had a look of hatred in them. Her eyes weren't on the face of her eldest brother, however. There was a much more important person viewing this scene. Over James' shoulder Lily saw a copy of the boy with her on the bed and she was unable to look away from Lysander's eyes as they took in the scene before him.

"What the fuck, Scamander. What the hell do you think you're doing with my sister?" James started forward and without even thinking about it Lily moved so that she was between him and Lorcan. The movement had upset her gaze and when she looked back at Lysander his face mirrored James', adding a great dosage of disgust.

Behind her Lorcan pulled on his shirt and was looking at the same place as she was, seemingly oblivious to the fact that James Potter would be killing him if she hadn't stepped in between them. "We were just talking. If you don't believe me ask her yourself. People can just talk you know." Lily looked back at him, he was looking pointedly at his brother. Her heart broke again, remembering that the beautiful boy in the doorway had been two timing her with her own cousin. She felt like crying and collapsing right where she was but what stopped her was the feeling of pure fear and the thought that if she moved James would lunge at Lorcan.

"It's true. Nothing happened." Lily tore her eyes away from Lysander, no longer able to look at him without feeling like she was going to be sick. Instead she looked pleadingly at James. Tears were welling in her eyes and she wished she were anywhere but there.

James snorted. "You're such a disgrace, Lily. Do you know how much Gram was devastated when you just left and didn't come back? She nearly had a conniption. And Dad, well lets just say that when we get home you won't be allowed out of the house until your kids pass their NEWTS" He took a step forward and placed a hand around her wrist, apparently intending to drag her from the room. But that action was met with much protesting from the blonde behind her.

"Don't you touch her. And don't talk to her like that. You don't control her. She can stay here if she wants to. Let her go." Lorcan took a step forward and place a protective arm in front of her, although James was still holding onto her wrist. "Honestly what kind of brother are you, you insensitive smuck."

There was a snort from the doorway and Lily begrudgingly looked in that direction again to be met with that same beautiful face she had loved so well for so long now covered with hate and disgust as though he was fighting sickness as well. "What kind of brother is he? What kind of brother are you? Wait till I turn my back for a moment to swoop in and shag my girlfriend. How dare you."

"I'm not your girlfriend." Lily's voice was meek and she hadn't meant to say it but the words had left her lips before she could think about it. The look of surprise on her ex-boyfriends face mirrored that on her own.

"What?"

"I'm…" She stopped and pulled at her wrist. James gave her a look and wouldn't let go so she pulled harder and he gave in. Taking a deep breath she met Lysanders eyes again, determined to seem stronger than she was feeling. "I'm not your girlfriend. You gave me up. You ran around behind my back with my cousin of all people. And excuse my bluntness but if after that I want to shag your brother then that is none of your bloody business, Lysander." His name on her lips undid her, however. It was a good thing she had nothing else to say because she wouldn't have been able to go on after that if she had.

Lysander just staired at her for a moment, shocked. And then a sneer came to his features, something she had never seen directed towards her. "You whore. Can't have me so need the next best thing, huh? Well enjoy that." It was a parting line but he didn't seem to be ready to leave. This was a stand off and she was losing and he would win, she knew, he always won. She was no match for him.

There was another commotion in the hallway and Lily heard another familiar voice, but this one was more welcome.

"Get out of the way. MOVE! Let me through. Geesh, none of you people are good for ANYTHING!!! Get out of my WAY!"

Victoria pushed her way through the crowd in the hallway. Her hair was a bit mussed and she was wearing the shirt Fred had been wearing earlier over her skirt but her face was fierce and furious.

"You all are going to have to leave. This is an invite only party and I'm not above calling the authorities." Her hands were on her hips and Lily couldn't deny that she was pretty terrifying. James looked over his shoulder to look at her and grunted. Very masculine, James.

"I'm not going anywhere without my sister. You people have obviously brainwashed her enough."

"Leave her here, James, it's not like she's any good to anyone anyways. Fucking whore probably blew her way in here." Lily had never heard Lysander speak about anyone like this and the fact that his words were in reference to her cut like a knife. She closed her eyes and despite the fact that Lorcan's arm snaked around her waist she felt utterly alone.

"Hey!" Victoria spun on him, eyes ablaze. "How dare you speak about a lady like that. Potter girl is one classy broad and she has more dignity in her little toe than you do in your entire body. And I don't even know you!" It was a stand off and Lily couldn't help but wonder which one would win. Surely Lysander because he always won at everything he tried to do. But then again it didn't look like Vicky was backing down.

But it broke. It seemed Lysander had not expected to be challenged and it was apparent he was perturbed by it. Stepping back, he broke eye contact with Victoria and looked straight at Lily. She felt herself trembling and Lorcan' grip on her tighten.

"You were never good enough for me anyways." Lysander turned as though to leave.

There was a flurry of movement then. In one instant Lorcan had left Lily's side and turned his brother around to face him. Lily watched in horror as the twin who had become her friend, almost her confidant, struck his brother square in the jaw. Lysander was more shocked than she was and it took him a moment to register what had happened. But when he did, the room exploded. The two were caught in a fight, arms being thrown and contact being made. Vicky jumped out of the way, ending up right next to Lily who was still horror stricken. James seemed to want in on the fight but didn't know how to do so. It was as though time had slowed down and everyone was just watching in wonder, waiting to see the outcome.

"Hey!" Another familiar and welcome voice pierced the air. "HEY!!!!" All action stopped. Lysander had Lorcan pinned on his back to the floor, gripping him by the collar of his shirt. Everyone turned to see who had spoken. In the door, having arrived just moments earlier was Scorpius, looking more put together, if possible, than the last time Lily had seen him. Perhaps he had cleaned up because his girlfriend had arrived. He did not look angry though, simply irritated. "If you wankers get blood in our guest room my father will have my head." There were a few inappropriate snickers from the hallway but they stopped when Scorpius raised his hand in a signal. "Now, gentlemen is there a problem here?"

Lysander looked back to Lorcan, who Lily could now see had blood coming from his nose and a bruise already blossoming on his brow. Lysander remained unscathed. It really wasn't a fair fight. Their eyes locked for a moment, Lorcan trying to anticipate his brother's next move. Everyone in the room was shocked when the parted, Lorcan immediately springing to his feet and taking a step towards Lily again. Lysander stood up and straightened his clothes out a bit.

"No problem at all, _Malfoy._ We were just leaving. Come on, James."

James shook his head, a bit distracted and jarred but still as stubborn and determined as before. "I'm not leaving without Lily."

"Oh, did Lily want to leave?"

Lily met Scorpius eyes. She was still scared and upset and she saw that he understood that. In that moment she knew that they weren't going to let James drag her from the house. She felt safe, protected. It was odd how emotional that made her feel, that these people who she didn't even know and had just met would put themselves out there for her. She quickly shook her head.

"Well then, it's settled. She'll stay here. Don't worry, we'll take care of her. We always take care of our own."

That phrase 'our own' didn't only startle Lily to hear. Several mummers were heard from outside and James looked more livid than ever. But even though he scowled and seemed upset he turned towards the door without sparing her a second glance and pushed his way through the crowd. Lysander went to follow but she found herself speaking again.

"Lysander."

He turned at her voice out of habit she was sure. They met eyes and for a moment she thought she might have seen some regret in his. But that was not what she had kept him for. She had a purpose here. "I never want to see you again."

There was a moment, A freeze in time where he seemed to consider what she had said. And then he spoke. "Well that's too bad, pet. I'm dating Rose now so you'll be seeing a lot of me. Probably more than you did before. I really like her company." It was as though he were telling her about a new animal he had adopted or a plant he had been working with. But she knew he was saying it to hurt her and it was working. She felt Lorcan's hand slip into hers and almost simultaneously Vicky's slender arm wrap around her waist and although her heart was breaking she felt oddly safe in that moment. Lysander gave a dry laugh. "Wow, you people have really brainwashed her. She fits in rather nicely here. You can keep her, she's no good to me now." And with that he turned and left.

Scorpius moved to the hallway and looked after him. "We plan to. Thanks for stopping by, don't let the door hit you on the way out." Looking back into the room, he offered a small almost apologetic smile to Lily. She returned the smile but not a moment later she felt the bile rising in her throat. Pulling away from the friends on either side of her Lily practically ran around the bed into the bathroom joined with the room, slamming the door behind her as she fell to her knees and wretched into the toilet.


	8. Hold my Hand

((Author's Note: Because you are all so good to me I think I will give you two Lily/Scorpy chapters in a row starting with this one. I already know the moments I want to really hit home in each one so hopefully the update will be quick. Keep reviewing and let me know what you think about things )

Lily was starting to think there must be something in the air in this establishment to make one unable to be able to keep time or have any sense of how much time was passing. For all she knew she was lying on that bathroom floor for days, although she was sure that was not the case. There were no windows so she couldn't tell if it was getting any darker than when she had shut herself in and she wasn't about to try and stand up to open the door for fear of being sick again. Instead she just lay on the floor, feeling as though her entire body was injured.

It was childish really, she thought as she listened to the muffled voices and footsteps filing out of the adjoining room. Here she was, lying on the floor of a stranger's guest room bathroom and bawling her eyes out over some boy, feeling like the world was ending. She felt pathetic and in truth she was. After the noises outside had lessened substantially three remained. Lily didn't have the energy or the motivation to be thankful that Scorpius, Lorcan and Vicky seemed to be so fond of her. Instead she just listened to them as they discussed something and then closed her eyes as they moved out of the room, thankful for once for the silence and solitude.

The tile floor was cool against her cheek and it was very soothing against her enflamed skin. She lay like that for a long time, every so often lifting herself up to wretch, dryly, into the toilet. But after awhile there was nothing else for her stomach to give up to her and so she just lay on the floor, wishing it would swallow her whole. Eventually she knew she would have to get up, pull herself together and rejoin the goup. From somewhere far away she could hear voices and wondered if the party had gone into full swing again tonight. She didn't much care, she wasn't sure she could handle being around everyone while they were joyful and oblivious to the pain of the world. And so instead of facing that just now she chose to stay where she was, sprawled on the floor and feeling pathetic, maybe she would just waste away here.

No such luck though. After a span of time had passed that Lily had no idea how to gage, she heard movement in the room outside her sanctuary. Groaning she covered her ears with her hands, rolling into a ball. She really couldn't handle looking at Lorcan right now, not just now after having just watched him be beaten by his double, not after his mouth on his brothers face had told her what a whore she was. Not now. The footsteps stopped just outside the door to the bathroom and Lily half thought maybe whoever it was would just go away but yet again she was not good at judging people, especially not this particular person.

The door opened slowly and Lily could hear it but there was no change in the light, at least not one she could tell through her eyelids. It must have gotten a bit later or maybe the sun had finally set and it was still early. She didn't care much, she just wanted to be left alone to wallow in her own misery. She heard the soles of her intruders' shoes make contact with the tile and finally opened her eyes. The dark jeans she saw triggered something within her, that involuntary flip her heart had taken to doing whenever she realized she was alone with the Malfoy boy. Glancing up at him she saw that his face was already angled down towards her, peering at her through some spare pieces of straight blonde hair.

"Oh good. You're alive. And I'm grateful that you kept all your sickness to the toilet. Thanks very much." He smiled at her and waited for a response. Something about the way he just kept looking at her, though, made Lily think that he didn't mind just watching her. The thought was silly and she was sure it wasn't true but it made her feel good in a way, almost like she wanted him to look at her. It was ridiculous the change his presence had on her. She was still feeling sick and ridiculously defeated but the few times he had come to her had made her feel so at ease and this was no different.

No matter how happy she was that it was Scorpius who had come to check on her, however, she couldn't bring herself to vacate her position on the floor just yet. Instead, she decided on taking an even more awkward position, turning her body so that she was lying on her back now, her red hair splayed under her head as she looked up at the new inhabitant of the room. Scorpius watched her move, seemingly fascinated, and took another step into the tiny room, closing the door after him. She watched as he moved to lean against the closed door and slid down so that he was sitting on the floor, closer to her level.

It was very dark inside the tiny room. Lily had been there for a bit and so her eyes had already adjusted to the dim atmosphere but the way his eyes were trained on her made her wonder how they had adjusted so quickly. She felt a sort of bond with this boy even though they had hardly even spoke, save for a moment in the kitchen before his girlfriend had torn in. For a moment Lily wondered where she had gone, that biracial goddess that had waltzed in a captivated his attention in an instant. The way he had looked at Irina…No one had ever looked at Lily that way.

"You okay, Potter girl?" His voice pulled her out of what had been a forming day dream of those ashy eyes gazing at her as though she were a goddess, though she didn't know why. She hardly knew him, and it wasn't as though she needed another boys affections to work into her growing pool. She met the eyes she had been thinking of and they were trained on her, trying to see into her soul almost.

"I…I don't know." It was an honest answer. She didn't know what she was supposed to be feeling, how to handle this sort of situation. No one had prepared her for this, they did not have a class on how to handle rejection and mortification at Hogwarts. She had not even witnessed any of her relatives go through anything like this. It was a completely foreign area for her and Lily was just sort of winging it. And right now that meant lying on the floor looking up at Scorpius Malfoy. She never would have thought she'd find herself in that position ever in her life.

When he didn't respond she continued talking just to fill the silence. "I feel like...my entire body wants to be sick all at once and like…I don't know where to go from here." Lily's eyes had wandered to a spot beside Scorpius' head as she spoke but when she finished they moved back to his face to see his reaction. She was losing her cool a little bit but she didn't really mind. The door was closed, it was like they were in their own little sanctuary, and she felt…safe. It was a mind blowing thought, that the daughter of Harry Potter would feel safe shut alone in a room with the son of Draco Malfoy.

When Scorpius didn't say anything for a moment Lily started to feel like she might be insane. But the thought was funny instead of upsetting. She laughed for a moment. And Scorpius did look at her like she was crazy and that only made her laugh harder. He cocked one of his eyebrows up and smirked just watching her for a moment as she curled around herself and laughed as though he had told the funniest joke in the world. When she finished and her cheeks were sufficiently flushed from the effort she looked back to him. And he was still just watching her, seeming perfectly content to do just that. He was a very curious specimen, this son of the enemy, and Lily couldn't help but wonder what made him tick.

When he began to move towards her, Lily was bit startled. She had not been expecting him to move and was a little unsure as to why he would be coming closer to her. Maybe she was dreaming again, he wasn't actually here, she was losing her mind. But no, there he was, scooting across the tiled floor till he was next to her, his knee bumping against her arm causing her to shy away from him. That made him smile again, which confused her.

Her entire experience here had been very confusing but everything – from what had almost happened with Lorcan, to smoking with Vicky to having her brother look at her as though she was worse than Voldemort himself – all of that had made sense. The way Scorpius interacted with her was the most confusing of all and made no sense. Lily wondered what he could have heard about her before she showed up here to make him act the way he was with her. But she had a feeling she would not be finding out about that any time soon. And that didn't help her understand any better why he was now sitting far too close to her for comfort.

"Hold my hand, Lily." That was quite unexpected. If Lily hadn't been confused previously she would have been now. Those four words actually caused her to jump up in surprise. Propping herself up on her elbows it was her turn to look at him was though he was out of his mind.

"What?"

Instead of an answer Scorpius first held out his hand to her nodding for her to put her tiny one in it. When she still seemed hesitant he sighed and rolled his eyes, not pulling it back. "When I feel sick and hopeless I like someone to hold my hand. It's a comfort thing. And so I'm offering my hand for you to hold because hopefully this way you'll be returning to the party sooner. It's become very dull."

Lily scoffed, not really believing what she was hearing. It was all very humorous. "Excuse me, did you just say when you feel sick and hopeless? The great Scorpius Malfoy, descendent of every pureblood known to man feels sick and hopeless?" She might be crossing some lines but he had just asked her to hold his hand for Merlin's sake.

He frowned at her. It astounded Lily how someone could look so sculpted and perfect with a frown on their face. He took a moment to consider what she had said, looking down at his hovering hand and then back to her, seeming to be deciding something. "Last year my grandmother passed away over the summer holidays." Lily stopped smiling. This wasn't a funny story at all, she felt bad for teasing him. But she wasn't exactly sure why he was telling her.

"She was sick for a very long time, as long as I can remember. Father said she'd been that way since the Dark Lord fell. She always said it was because she had almost lost him…my father that is. And she was always very kind to me and would let me talk to her about anything and lay my head on her lap even when I was far too old for it to seem appropriate." He paused and seemed to be considering his hand, which was still extended to her awkwardly. She started to feel rather bad for not taking it but could not seem to bring herself to reach out to him in the middle of his story, in the middle of him telling her something she was sure not many people knew, something so personal.

"About a week before she died she was in bed, very weak and hardly able to speak. I was quite upset about the whole thing and refused to talk to either of my parents about it. it was all very childish and I felt ridiculous but…I went into her room and climbed into her bed next to her and talked to her. And as I talked to her I started to cry and it got worse and worse and all of a sudden she reached out took my hand in her weak little fingers and that calmed me more than I can possibly explain…" He seemed to realize just then that he was making her feel awkward telling her this. And so he stopped, and looked at her. One would think such a personal story would have made him look vulnerable or tear up. Lily couldn't decide whether she was surprised that he looked just as strong and sure of himself as ever.

He was looking at her expectantly and Lily knew that he should be. Without really thinking a bout it she reached out her hand and laid it softly in his. He didn't seemed to need time to accept this, it was almost like a natural reaction when his fingers shut around the limb and encased her hand in a glove of warmth. She couldn't help but let her heart flip again as a small smile played on his lips. And also she allowed herself to match it.

"I'm sorry about your grandmother. I've only ever known my grandparents on my mother's side and I swear the Weasley's will live forever." She moved so that she was sitting against the wall next to him which was much less awkward than trying to hold his hand while still lying on the floor. He was right though, it was amazing how comfortable and easy it was for her to just hold his hand. It was very hard to continue panicking and thinking about how doomed she was in her life when he was there and she was connected to another human being this way.

She wondered if it would have been different if it was Lorcan holding her hand. Of course it would, he looked exactly like Lysander and Lysander had just said all of those horrible things to her. No, she didn't want to see Lorcan right now. She'd have to wait a while longer to see him, otherwise everything would be ruined. Everythign would be horrible.

Scorpius laughed. "Yeah, I know how you feel. That's how I feel about my parents. And sometimes my grandfather. He's still plugging along, the old bastard. But…you want to enjoy the time you have with your family. It's not the same once their gone. Sometimes I still think she'll write my a note and send it to school and I'll see their tawny owl flying through the Great Hall and landing in front of me…But She doesn't, and she won't. It's alright though" He smiled at her, moving closer to her and surprising her by pulling his hand away. But he replaced it quickly with his other hand and sent chills through her body by snaking his arm around her shoulder and using it to pull her into the side of his body.

It was funny to her, how many times she had ended up in this position with a boy since arriving here. But it was different to be leaning against Scorpius Malfoy instead of Lorcan. Scorpius made her heart skip and made her feel like a different person than she had ever been. He made her want to be the kind of girl that partied all the time and hung out with the Slyhterins and smoked and stayed up all night and skipped home for weeks at a time. He made her want to be a goddess. And right now in this moment she felt like one.


	9. Back to the Blue Room

((Author's Note: Sorry, everyone. I suck at being dedicated to my crafter *weeps* but I'll try to make it up to you. I've got Pandora on and have a wonderful new list of quotes because my computer crashed and I didn't feel like compiling the old one (obviously it wasn't very inspiring, I only have 8 chapters). So I'm not really sure how long this story is going to be now but it will at least be a while yet. I have some food for thought though. First, how would you feel about a chapter written around someone other than Lily, such as from Lorcan's perspective or even Scorpius, or some of you had expressed interest in Vicky (or I even had some Ideas about Fred). Some people feel like changing perspectives mid story shows poor caliber so I wanted to check what the general thoughts were before I went ahead with it. Also I've decided if you have a quote you love and would like me to write a chapter using it that you should leave it in the reviews because I need muse. And I love you all. Mwah! This chapter is my gift to you for having to wait so long for me. Enjoy.))

Another night at Malfoy Manor was in full swing. Having finally emerged from her comfortable sanctuary made up on bathroom tile and an ivory toilet, Lily found herself once again in the Blue Room. She had been hesitant to leave her spot on the floor of bathroom because in her mind, as long as she stayed right there in that moment with Scorpius holding her hand in such a comforting fashion, nothing else could go wrong with her life. Unfortunately, the blonde Slytherin made her feel insanely relaxed and so she had voiced this thought to him. From that moment on he had made it his mission to use his charming way of talking and unfairly soothing tones to convince her that if she agreed to return to the party with him he would personally make sure she enjoyed her evening.

Originally their plan had been to return to the kitchen to retrieve some scraps from the dinner Scorpius had prepared during the time she had spent alone in the bathroom before he had joined her there. Lily could still not wrap her mind around the fact that this bully of bullies, the son of Draco Malfoy, could be so interested in cooking for himself and so independent, with no need of servants or ordering people around. Up until the day before that's all she had known of him, from her brothers and cousins of course, that he was a rude twat with not a care in the world for anyone other than himself. How wrong they had been, she was discovering bit by bit. As they walked along the endless maze of corridors Scorpius had kept hold of her hand. Lily forced herself to believe that it was only because he realized how much it calmed her to be connected like that and for no other reason. She couldn't allow herself to even speculate on another motive because that was dangerous ground and she was beginning to feel like a little girl with a crush which was the last thing she wanted him to see her as.

The Blue Room had snuck up on her once again, but this time it was less of a shock and more of curiosity. As soon as she noticed the oddly colored room out of the corner of her eye she stopped dead in the middle of the corridor, dropping Scorpius' hand and walking inside, not pausing for a moment to wonder whether he would follow.

"This is the room I met Vicky in. When everyone was in the kitchen and I got lost."

She felt more than heard Scorpius step into the doorway after her. Glancing over her shoulder she watched him lean against the door frame and watch her react to her surroundings. She had not had a chance to properly look around or wonder about the contents of the room before. Now, upon proper inspection, she saw that not only were the walls and furniture completely blue in nature but also every object in the interior of the room was the same color. There were vases and lamps, all blue, books with only blue covers, blue pillows on either side of the sofa, a blue throw draped over the back of the same piece of furniture. On the coffee table stood a blue centerpiece with some sparkling blue flowers in it which Lily was sure must be bewitched into existence like so many other objects in this house. Breathing in, Lily wondered if that musk she had identified earlier might even be a blue musk. It seemed entirely possible, but then she did have a very active imagination. Turning back towards the door she was both pleased and horrified to see Scorpius smirking at her; Pleased because he had that sparkle in his eye that made her want to make him keep smirking at her forever and horrified because it meant he had been watching her pathetic response to this odd room. Placing her hands on her hips she tried to look menacing as only her mother could.

"What exactly are you smirking at, mister?"

When she had become such chums with Scorpius that she felt comfortable addressing him in such a tone, Lily had no idea. Possibly somewhere between the point when he threw her eldest brother out of his house in a civil fashion and when he sat next to her on his bathroom floor and held her hand while she recovered from the same event. Either way, he did not seem to mind her speaking to him like this much, instead he just let the smirk melt into a grin and crossed his arms to counter her stature.

"You". He let out a laugh at her shocked look. The simplicity of his response had surprised her. "I'm smirking at you. Many of my friends have come in this room over the years and no one has behaved so fascinated by its contents as you have. Well, that's other than Vicky of course. She likes to wander though, any room with knick-knacks will keep her attention for an hour or so, I'm not surprised you found her here, this is one of her favorite places to hide."

"But what is it for? What is the point of a room that is completely blue?" Lily couldn't help but feel like this was something out of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. However, she knew full well that he probably had no idea what that book was, and probably would look at her with an incredulous look if she ventured to ask if he'd ever seen the film. For that reason, she kept her mouth shut and he eyes trained on him waiting for him to give her an answer.

Scorpius stood from his leaning post at the door and took a few steps inside. Lily watched as he dug his hands into the back pockets of his dark jeans, looking around the room as though taking it in himself, remembering its purpose in his home. "When I was younger I loved the color blue. I begged and begged my parents to allow me to color my own bedroom blue, which of course they refused. When both of your parents are Slytherin House alumni it's a laughable subject to expect a Ravenclaw colored room. But I didn't care about that, I was years from being old enough to enter school and so I wanted a blue room. And so they gave me this room, far enough from their bedroom that they needn't look at it and far away from mine that I might tire of crossing the manor to visit it. Classic Malfoy manipulation; Give you what you want while teaching you not to want it". He laughed a bit and shook his head, wandering over to the book shelf and tipping a book away from the others, picking it up and holding it in his hand to peer at the book end.

It was hard not to watch him move around the room, he had such a graceful way about him. Lily was so caught up in watching him in his element that she was somewhat startled when he looked right at her again. For some reason she had begun to believe he couldn't truly see her any more, that she may have turned blue herself and blended into the scenery. And yet, there he was looking at her as intently as he had when she had awoken in the piano room the night before and he had been staring at her from the armchair. She wondered if he always looked at people that intently, like he could see into their souls.

"Do you want to eat in here?"

"What?"

"You could poke around a bit. I know you want to, so don't deny it". He offered a small smile again as she tried not to let her cheeks redden. It wasn't that she was embarrassed about being curious, but merely the fact that he seemed to know what she was thinking without any indication on her part. "I'll slip out for a mo' and grab some food and we can have a picnic of sorts in the Blue Room of my childhood. How's that sound?" She was still trying her hardest not to look pathetically obvious but he seemed sincere and the smile on his face was the kindest she could have ever imagined on a Slytherin, probably more so. Unsure about her speaking voice, Lily merely smiled back at him and nodded. Taking that as consent, Scorpius nodded back at her, walking back out the door and handing her the book in his hands as he went.

As soon as he had departed Lily sat down on the sofa, surprised at how comfortable it felt. Although she knew it wasn't true she still expected everything in the Manor to be as cold and hard as she had been told the hearts of its inhabitants were. But the people here weren't cold and heartless, they were lively and welcoming, and she enjoyed being around them. Smiling to herself, Lily looked down at the book in her hands, flipping open the cover. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting: perhaps a book of dark arts, a history of the Malfoy's family tree, a sinister picture book. Instead what she found was a picture album. The first picture she was greeted with as a baby Scorpius, running around in circles on a hardwood floor, the focal point of his circle being a pair of legs she could only assume belonged to his father. Another picture showed his mother with Scorpius balanced on her hip, hair windswept, looking rather cross. That made Lily laugh, reminding her of her Aunt Hermione. If this had been her family and Scorpius had been Hugo, the picture would have been taken by her Uncle Ron and no doubt he would have said something smart and been getting a lecture from his wife. But this wasn't her family and it was astounding to imagine the dynamics of the two being so similar.

Turning several pages at once Lily came across a school aged Scorpius staring up at her. That spark was in his eye and he looked so sure of himself. She turned several more pages and began recognizing some of her new friends. There was Vicky, between two strapping young men, one arm thrown precariously around Scorpius neck and the other around a bloke whom Lily recognized from the party but couldn't put a name to. One more page had Lily regretting her curiosity. There was a picture of Scorpius and Irina on this page, holding each other close, her arms looped around his neck and his around her back holding her to him. The picture representations could have cared less about anything else and were just concerned with looking into each other's eyes and occasionally kissing each other. It was indecent for her to be looking at this, a private photograph; and yet Lily couldn't bring herself to look away. She sighed and felt her heart ache a bit, not for jealousy (well not much) but more for the fact that she remembered being in love like that. She had had that with Lysander just weeks ago and every time she sat down and allowed herself to remember that she could begin to feel her world falling apart at the seams all over again.

As luck would have it Scorpius' impeccable timing had him returning to the room at that exact moment to pull her out of her spiraling thoughts. Hearing his footfalls right outside the door she quickly snapped the photo album shut and set it on the coffee table as though she had been stealing glances at his private journal. Looking up to watch him walk in she let a smile spread across her face. He held in one hand a wine bottle and two glasses and balanced on the other arm were two plates as though he had once served as a waiter and had experience with such maneuvers. Returning her smile when he saw it, Scorpius swept over to the sofa to sit next to her, setting the plates in front of them on table and placing the bottle of wine and glasses in a similar configuration.

"So this is what we have to choose from, yeah? A bit of pasta with my very own secret recipe tomato sauce, some chilled green beans for a healthy vegetable portion and half a baked potato. Very domestic, I know, but a man has to eat like a king every so often". He grinned at her. "There was chicken on these plates when I set them aside but my guess is that someone nicked our meat portions while we were hiding in the facilities so we'll have to do without, is that alright?"

Lily couldn't help herself when she laughed just a bit. She had never seen this coming when she had arrived at his home or even when she had actually started interacting with him. She nodded vigorously, the site of the food alerting her to just how hungry she actually was. That was nothing new though, she tended to forget to eat until she was reminded how good food actually looked, why should now be any different. "It looks fantastic, Scorpius, thank you for saving me some"

"Well it wouldn't do to have to starve would it? Dig in, now, it'll get cold again and I've just warmed it".

She did not need telling twice. As she test tasted the pasta she swore she would faint from how good it tasted. Watching him pour her a glass of wine she smiled her thanks and toasted him before taking a drink. It was red and dry and tasted bitter to her but she drank it anyways. And when he poured them both another glass she drank that one too. It wasn't the sort of drinking she had done the previous night but she couldn't help feeling slightly grown up sitting there drinking wine and eating a nice dinner with a boy like Scorpius. It was almost like they were on a date.

Unconsciously, Lily's eyes flickered to the picture album, pushed to the side to make room for their meal. She remembered how happy Scorpius had looked in that photo with Irina. Looking at her companion she was hardly surprised any more to find that he was watching her. She only spared a moment to wonder how long he may have been looking at her before she had noticed him doing it.

"Scorpius how is it that you can be here with me?"

"How do you mean?"

She cleared her throat slightly and took another sip of the wine, swallowing completely before she continued. "I mean, how is it that you're here spending your entire night entertaining me when Irina came home from her family holiday early to see you?"

"Oh" Scorpius shrugged, swirling his own wine around in his glass as he looked down at it. "Irina gets bored easily. She claims to love these parties but she seems less interested in them when I'm around so I stay out of her way mostly. I'll go find her in a bit, but for now I'm quite enjoying sitting here with you if that's alright". He smiled at her again and even if she had wanted to Lily couldn't have stopped herself from nodding and smiling back. What was the alternative? Refusing to accept his answer and insisting he leave to find his girlfriend? That wasn't her place.

Glancing down at her plate Lily realized she had finished her dinner all except for her potato which remained untouched. "I don't much like potatoes. I never have". Poking the brown object with her fork she scrunched her face up in slight disgust and was surprised to hear Scorpius laugh at her.

"Well don't maim it, I'll take it. I love potatoes, and the skin is rather good for you". He reached over with his own fork and went to stab the rejected vegetable, stopping short when his hand brushed against hers. She looked up to see him staring straight at her, his entire expression having changed in seconds.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face? Is it sauce?" She reached up to wipe at her mouth as though to displace the imaginary offending food morsel. The way he was looking at her was slightly unnerving. It was the same piercing stare she had previously experienced the receiving end of from him but he seemed to be searching this time, not just boring into her soul but looking for something there, something he may have just noticed.

"Scorpius?"

"What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?"

"What?"

He didn't respond, just kept looking at her, his gaze steady. She was getting fidgety and it took everything in her to keep her body from breaking out in the shakes she was so nervous. What exactly she was anxious about she couldn't have said but there was something about the way he was looking at her that told her whatever he was asking her wasn't just surface deep.

"Well I dunno, do I?" That was an immature answer and she knew it but what did he expect her to say? That she'd go home and get her boyfriend back? Or better yet she'd murder him and hide the body never to be found? That was going a bit far but she couldn't think of anything else that made any sense to attempt right now because that was her present situation. "What about you?" It was a deflection and it was pathetic but she was eager to get the focus off of her and snap him out of whatever was happening, not even to hear his answer. However, that is exactly what she should have been concerned with at that moment as she would soon find out.

Everything happened in slow motion in the next few seconds. Scorpius didn't respond to her returned question but instead he reached up one of his hands and tucked a stray strand of red hair behind her ear. She couldn't move, couldn't shift one muscle because she was so shocked. She just sat there and stared at him, half convinced she must be imagining this and half distressed that she might be. Slowly, painfully slowly, she watched as he leaned toward her, panicking about what would happen once he reached her. She could imagine his lips in that moment, soft and cold and maybe slightly chapped, pressed ever so gently against her own and sending sparks through her body.

But that wasn't the way kisses went. "Stop". Scorpius hovered less than an inch from her, seemingly in a trance looking down at her. "Scorpius, stop. I don't know what you're doing but…you have a beautiful girlfriend and I have…" She inhaled sharply realizing she really had nothing and no one in the world, not really. She had this pretend life she had made for herself but that was all, and it would soon be over. She would have to go home and face the music eventually and it was important that she remind herself she couldn't hide from reality forever.

"Lorcan". His voice startled her, to the point that she snapped away from him and glanced at the door, afraid the mention of his name would cause him to materialize there. What would he think? Why did it matter? How had she spent so long with Scorpius without wondering where he'd gotten to. She wasn't his keeper but they had shared a moment together and then she had just run into the bathroom and refused to let him in. Oh, she felt horribly. "You have Lorcan."

Glancing at Scorpius she was relieved to see he had snapped out of whatever it was that had come over him. Maybe that blue musk in the room wasn't just musk, maybe it was magicked like the flowers were. Whatever it was, though, she didn't feel like she should stay there with him any longer. "Yes. I do. Speaking of which I should go find him." Without another thought she stood and walked towards the door. She paused only for a moment to turn and look at him. He was already cleaning up their plates, the potato still uneaten on her plate where she had left it. "Thank you for dinner, it really was delicious".

He looked up and smiled at her, that same marvelous smile, as though the awkward moment that had just unfolded had never happened. "No problem, Potter girl. Enjoy your night, see you in the morning." Lily smiled back at him and turned walking swiftly down the hall way. She knew she was going to get lost but longer she stayed in the same room as Scorpius Malfoy the more she had to admit that knowing him was going to be trouble.

((Read and Review guys. Let me know what you think. I know my writing style changes slightly every time I take a hiatus so let me know if you hate it and I'll try to fix myself ))


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